Don't Go Changing
by DeidreDali
Summary: After a fiasco back in Phoenix, Bella has recently moved in with her father. She is on a mission to find passion in her life, and with the help of her new friend Edward Cullen she just might reach her goal. M for lemons. All Human. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Don't Go Changing

**Hi everybody! This is my first FanFiction and I hope you like it. I know this chapter is not very long, but I was just trying to set up the background and such. I already have a few more chapters finished and they are in the editing process, so fear not, it will get better!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. If I did I'm sure my English teacher would appreciate me a little bit more.**

Chapter One

Jacob's hands hover around my waist, never grasping, merely whispering (as per usual) against the soft blue silk that hangs across my skin. He is so overwhelmingly gentle, a boring trait in most men, but something is different about him (or so I thought). There is a hidden strength that radiates from his chest, beckoning me closer, begging me to just wait a few more moments for it to show itself. So I wait. And wait. And wait as he pulls me onto his feet and our bodies begin to twirl across a floor so smooth and clean that I could probably see straight through to China if I looked hard enough. The music flowed around us and I began slipping off of his loafers, hitting the floor with one foot and tumbling into his arms. Bringing me out of my daze, he clears his throat in a manly way, cupping my chin and lifting my eyes to meet his and I notice something peculiar. How had I never noticed it before? As I stared into those black pupils, hunting for that rugged strength, nothing stared back at me. At least, nothing worthwhile. Nothing worth the fourteen years I had spent waiting. Enough!

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Ever since my first memory I have been waiting. Waiting for Christmas. Waiting for my birthday. Waiting for my mother to finally settle down instead of following her latest boyfriend on cross-country trips to god-knows-where-ville. And finally, waiting for Jake to do… anything; hold me, grab me, ravish me, anything but this agonizingly light touching he has been doing ever since we began dating (1 year, two months, and 18 days ago).

So, instead of biding my time until the opportunity presented itself, I decided to make my wants and needs come true; and where am I now? Well, I am on a plane to Forks, Washington.

Why Forks?

My mom flipped with she found out that I had "forced myself" upon Jacob after the homecoming dance.

My father lives there and I was familiar with the damp damask surroundings from various holidays spent visiting my father after the divorce.

And for the record, I did not "force myself" upon him, I merely hinted that I was ready to move forward in our relationship… by jumping him in the car and breaking the zipper on his nice Ralph Lauren pants when I pulled too hard. Then when he got home with his pants around his ankles and his mom freaked out, informed my mom of said disaster. Naturally, my mom took this "cry for help" as a sign that I needed to spend some quality time with my dad until further notice while she followed her latest baseballer to Jackson, Florida.

"We are now beginning our final descent. If you would, please put your tray tables up and return your seats to their full upright position. Turn off all electronic devices and fasten your seatbelts. We should be landing at the Seattle Airport in fifteen to twenty minutes. This concludes our nonstop flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Seattle, Washington. We hope you enjoyed your stay with Alaska Airlines and hope to see you again."

Maybe I should become a flight attendant. Just quit school and take to the skies. You never have to worry about boys and their silly little games because you are busy flying to Paris, Rome, Prague, and every other amazing place in the world. And if you get bored and/or sexually frustrated, you can induct some sexy British hunk into The Mile High Club. It's really the perfect job. Unless the plane's engine fails, and you fall into the ocean and everyone dies. Or if terrorists highjack your plane and you end up trapped in a fiery cage stuck in the middle of Epcot or skewered by the Washington monument… Who am I kidding? I'm too clumsy to be a flight attendant anyways. I'd probably spill hot coffee on some government official in first class and get stuck on a crappy flight from Minnesota to Oklahoma. The only upside to being a flight attendant is fucking the captain. I guess that wouldn't be so bad, but it's just so predictable. What I need is something huge, something I'm so sure about, that I almost pee from excitement just thinking about it. I need something amazing.

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_UGH! Where is he?_ I had been standing by the luggage carriage for thirty minutes and Black haired, mustached sheriff. _I called him right after the plane landed. Oh God, what if he… what the heck. Some guy is holding a sign with my name on it. People still do that?_

"Hey." I took the sign from his hand and studied it, then looked up to meet the eyes of my chauffer.

He was beautiful! He must have been just north of six feet and his body was art, his skin was so smooth and flawless that it might as well have been marble. I went ahead and assumed that the ripples beneath his cotton tee-shirt were nothing short of sculpted abdomen sent from the gods so that we humans may know what true perfection really looks like. I thought it couldn't get any better until I finally saw his face. Amber-Bronze hair framed his forehead as his jaw curved at a sharp manly angle supporting flawless lips, and green eyes I could look at for years and never get tired of. I quickly took the rather large hand that had been beckoning for a hand shake and the warmth of his touch radiated through my arm creating some kind of fullness in my chest that I had never experienced before.

"Hi, you must be Isabella." No sound can ever compare to that voice. The minute he spoke chills swam up my spine raising the hair on the back of my neck and filling my cheeks with heat. I quickly pulled my thick brown hair out of its ponytail to cover the tomato red blush that was probably glowing from my cheekbones, and met his eyes defiantly in an effort to cover up my obvious infatuation with him.

"Bella." I corrected. "Where is Charlie? I called him after the plane landed and he said he was already here waiting."

"Oh, Chief Swan had an emergency and had to go back into town. I had just gotten back from a trip to see some family friends in Alaska and I told him I would wait and drive you to Forks. I'm Edward Cullen." Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen. The name rolled from his tongue so easily. His tongue. No! Stop. This was not the time to be fantasizing.

"Nice to meet you." I stared at him stupidly probably with an idiotic grin on my face. He chuckled a little bit and then grabbed one of my duffle bags from the ground and threw it effortlessly over one shoulder and began walking as I struggled ridiculously with two rather light carry ons.

"My car is the silver Volvo over there in front of the blue Honda." Even his car was perfect. Oh my gosh and that ass. The view from behind is just as intoxicating as the front. This was going to be a very long drive home.

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After he had heaved the last of the luggage into his trunk, Edward slid in to the driver's seat and started up the car, peeling out of the parallel parking spot with textbook skill. Everything was great, small talk and such, until we hit the interstate.

"Don't you think we are going a little too fast?" I checked the speedometer and we were flying past cars at around 97 mph. Something in my stomach churned as we dodged 18 wheelers and pickup trucks and I though I was going to vomit all over the mint condition interior of his car.

"I've driven this route millions of times. We are fine. Plus I have great reflexes, so don't worry." Too late.

"Are you sure you can't knock it down to like 80." He laughed at the thought and sped up slightly, probably on purpose; and about ten minutes later when I thought I had gotten used to the rocket speed he swerved, harshly overcorrecting into the next lane and nearly slammed into the side of a minivan. I screamed at a pitch I was sure I had not hit since I was in preschool and all Edward did was laugh. He laughed at the fact he nearly killed me and possibly himself. He laughed at death.

"What the hell are you laughing at, idiot? You almost killed me!"

"Oh come on, you are fine. Now stop being so ridiculous." Done.

"No you are ridiculous! Who drives over one hundred on the interstate? Who drives over one hundred anywhere? Look around you! This isn't The Fast and the Furious you fucktard!" Goodbye beautiful, you'll never want me after this pretty little tantrum. I looked like a monster. My arms were flailing as I spoke and I could make out spittle that was flying from my mouth as I ranted, and when I was finally done Edward slowed to about 70 mph and we sat in silence the rest of the way home. When he dropped me off at Charlie's house I gave a small thank you as he handed me my luggage and then walked as fast as possible to the door. Once inside I let out a large breathe and walked into the kitchen to face my dad.

It had been so long since I had seen him that I thought I wouldn't recognize him, but sure enough, there he was, drinking his Rainier Beer and cleaning out his shotgun. It was like time stood still whenever I wasn't here, and when I returned the remote hit play and the movie began right where I left off. Even that awkwardness between me and Charlie remained in tact as he took my bags and led me up to my room. There were a few short questions such as:

"So, Bells, how was the flight?"

And I answered quickly:

"Long."

He briefed me on the new sheets he bought for my bed, asked if I had all of my supplies for school tomorrow, and exited the room to catch "the ballgame" leaving me sitting on my bed, alone, exactly how I liked it. It's much easier to get settled when you don't have someone hovering over you, asking if you need anything or if they can help. So, I unpacked and showered, and called my mother a few times, catching the machine every call. She called me from a pay phone later on with some sad excuse as to how and why she had misplaced her phone. We talked for a little while about Forks and Charlie, and I made sure not to mention Edward for fear she would catch that I liked him and go into her long speech about the "three C's of men", which were cuisine, coy, and condoms. Needless to say, I did not need another reason to review my embarrassing attitude on the ride home, so as soon as I hung up the phone I went straight to sleep, eliminating any time to think about Edward Cullen, or his voice, or his strength, or what it would feel like to have those strong arms wrapped around me while he whispered into my ear.

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**Thank you for reading! Please review, i know there isn't much to say so far but i would appreciate the feedback good or bad!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**So, this might not answer everyone's questions from the First Chapter, but don't worry, all of the empty spaces will be filled in good time! This chapter is about the length I hope the rest will be, so hopefully no more short clips.**

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Falling asleep, knowing there are things you need to think through, is always a bad idea. I tossed and turned all night falling in and out of dreams in which I was a large, snake like monster growling and screeching at Edward and he faced me with his sword held high. He would say a few valiant words and I would growl in reply, then he would have at me and just as his sword slid into my skin I would wake up. The last time I awoke, I stared at the clock as it blinked 5:46 a.m. I gave up and just laid awake thinking about what Edward could possibly think of me after I blew up at him like some ferocious beast. In reality, I'm sure I was just over reacting, but I just couldn't give myself that kind of hope when there is a possibility that at school he would totally blow me off and ignore me for the rest of my stay in Forks.

This was going to be a very long day.

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I hopped down the stairs, slipping on the last step, but catching myself before I did any real damage. When I entered the kitchen Charlie was sipping coffee and reading the paper, fully dressed in his uniform.

"Morning, Bells."

"Morning." I answered as I fished through the pantry pulling out a box of Cheerios. "So… are you going to drive me to school?" I found a bowl in a nearby cabinet and pulled the milk out of the fridge, expecting sour milk, but pleasantly surprised to find that it was relatively fresh.

"No, I have to get to the station. Our neighbor, Mike Newton, offered to take you." Not the buttfaced kid who asked me to marry him every time I came to visit? "You remember him, don't you? Blonde hair, blue eyes, small obsession with you when you two were little." There was a knife in my back, twisting and jabbing and I was dying. Charlie didn't even glance away from the comics.

I quickly finished my breakfast and hurried upstairs to kill myself, but instead I brushed my teeth and made my bed. Once I had finished I looked out the window to see him, leaning out of the window of a white sedan waving. I was extremely excited to see that he had outgrown the buttlike face and had matured into a good-looking, jock type, guy. So I grabbed my backpack and hurried out the door to meet is still smiling face.

"Isabella? Hey, it's been a while." He held out his arms and trapped me in an awkward but not totally uncomfortable hug.

"Hey Mike. Yeah I haven't seen you in about four years. And you can call me Bella, I like it better."

"That's right. I forgot. Sorry. Are you excited about your first day?"

"I guess so." I buckled my seatbelt and stared at my lap for a few minutes before returning my eyes to the road as we began our journey to Forks High School.

"Well, the entire student body is excited for you. All they've been talking about for the past two weeks has been you. There are plans for a feature in the school newspaper." Newspaper features, people talking, what am I doing here? Honestly, I'm not the best at making friends, because I really don't like the attention they bring. The only reason me and Jake were best friends was because we had been pushed together by our parents when me and my mom moved to Phoenix when I was four. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some emo freak who sits in the back of the school smoking cigs all day; I have casual friends. I just prefer to be alone; it's kind of what I do best.

"I hope you aren't serious about the paper."

"Well, not entirely. I mean, you can talk Eric out of it I'm sure." He laughed to himself and I assumed it was some sort of inside joke.

"So, is there anything else I should be warned about before we walk in there?" At the sound of we Mike gave a huge, dopey grin. It occurred to me that many of the guys must be excited about the addition to the babe pool and I would be the shiny new water toy they could all gawk at. Yet another reason to run into the woods as soon as the car reached a stop.

"Well, there is a winter formal this weekend, so you should prepare yourself for mass proposals, I'm sure." I let out a large audible sigh. "Aw, come on Bella. We haven't had a new student here in about four or five years. Forks is a pretty dull town, you know. We'll take whatever excitement we can lay our hands on."

The car came to a stop and Mike pulled the keys from the ignition. He glanced my way and gave me a reassuring smile and then slid out of the car. Before I did the same, I looked out the front windshield, meeting the eyes of about 30 to 40 gawking faces (nearly a fourth of the entire student body). With one last deep breath, I opened the car door to meet the frigid wet air that dominates Forks' atmosphere, and took the first steps of my new life.

"Hey Bells! Come meet the gang!" I turned to see Mike waving towards me surrounded by a group of boys and girls who were either perplexed or offended by my intrusion into their safe little bubble of friendship. "This is Eric, Angela, Ben, that's Jessica, there's Tyler…" The list went on but I was too preoccupied to listen; because a silver Volvo had just pulled into the parking lot. After finding a spot, Edward Cullen emerged looking just as spectacular as I remembered, though I must say, from afar he looks a bit lankier than I imagined. Once out in the open, a large muscled boy with dark hair slapped Edward on the back causing him to whence a little until a tall, lean guy with honey colored curls threw an arm around Edward's shoulders and let out a large laugh. I'm not sure what it was about this scene, but I couldn't for the life of me look away, even when I met Edward's eyes. Finally, a voice beside me began talking and I tore my attention away to face a short brunette who I believe was named Jessica.

"That's the Cullens. The big one is Emmett, the gorgeous one is Edward, and the tall one is Jasper. There are two others, Rosalie and Alice, but they are still in Alaska visiting their relatives." From the tone of the small girl's voice I could sense that the Cullen men were some kind of object of lust for the girls of this school and the Cullen girls were merely a large obstacle.

"None of them look alike." I observed as I looked closer into each boys features. Jasper had icy blue eyes, Emmett's were a deep powerful brown, and Edward's were that penetrating green; and each had a different build.

"Oh, they are all adopted. Dr. Cullen sure knows how to pick them. Each kid is perfect, it's really kind of ridiculous." From the bitter tone in her voice, I sensed a bit of jealousy; which is really an unattractive characteristic. Suddenly her stance changed and she became some kind of perky monster, waving and smiling, bearing all of her little teeth. "Hey, Edward!" Edward looked her way and gave a slight crooked smile that sent her weak in the knees as she leaned into me. I quickly backed away and glanced up to see all three Cullen's eyes on me. I could feel warm blush taking over my cheeks and I quickly pushed back my hair and turned my attention to Mike who was arguing with Eric about the "Isabella Swan Story."

"Eric, the feature is dead. She said she didn't like the idea and that it's crap."

"Whatever Mike. Why don't I just ask her myself. Hey Bella, you want to do the feature, right?"

"No, dickwad, she doesn't. Isn't that right Bella?"

"Save it, Mike!"

The bell rang and the two boys pushed and shoved their way into the doors as I quietly avoided all attention and slid into the front office where I found a homely stout woman smiling brightly.

"Isabella Swan, I presume." She held out a slip of paper and I took it and glanced at the words. My schedule. "And here is a map. I highlighted the route to each classroom." She then handed me a slip with each period written and large blanks to the side. "Get each of your teachers to sign by the period number and bring it back to me at the end of school today. If you have any questions feel free to ask any of your classmates or teachers, they are all here to help."

"Thank you." I gave a quick smile and then headed out to my first class.

English: Mason

Government: Jefferson

Trigonometry: Varner

Spanish: Wint

Lunch

Biology II: Banner

Gym: Clapp

The day was boring for the most part. Eric was in my English class, Jessica was in my Trig and Spanish Class, I sat with Mike's group at lunch, and everything seemed to go according to plan until I got to Biology. I walked in and noticed that Mike was there and so was Angela, one of Jessica's friends, but they were already sitting with lab partners. The only open seat was at a table with Edward Cullen. So I silently handed my slip to the teacher and he signed it and sent me to sit next to Edward who had yet to notice I was here. I gently sat on the stool next to him and pulled my binder out of my backpack. He sat staring out at the rain with his head rested on a hand propped up on the table. It wasn't until the teacher began loudly addressing the lesson today that he looked away and noticed that I was sitting next to him.

"Hey Bella." He gave me that same crooked smile he had shown Jessica. "How's your first day?"

"It's fine." His eyes delved deeper, curiously looking into my mind and trying to figure me out.

"Just fine? Don't you like Forks?"

"I don't really know yet. The people are great, but it's cold and wet."

"Well, forecast says sun tomorrow. Maybe you'll change your mind."

"Maybe." We both began listening to Mr. Banner who was ranting about our lab today on animal cells. Once his lecture concluded I focused my eye towards the lens of the microscope and slid the first slide into the tray. "Mitochondria."

"Hmm. Well, let's see." He grabbed the microscope and dipped one emerald eye down to touch the lens and almost immediately raised his head and looked into my eyes smiling. "Looks like we have ourselves a little bookworm."

"I'm not a bookworm." I must say that the name-calling slightly annoyed me. "I've already taken Biology."

"Then why not take something else." His eyes weren't soft and green, they were rock hard and almost black and I began to think that maybe all of my assumptions were correct. He was planning on ignoring me after my little slip up in his car. Well, it's about time he found out that he can't judge a person based on their reaction to a high-speed, near-death experience.

"You don't like me." It was just as much a question as it was an answer.

"Now, who told you that." He smirked that same twisted grin and I knew I had my answer.

"You did." We sat staring at each other having some sort of unspoken war, and finally the bell rang and he swiftly exited the room. I felt a firm grasp on my shoulder and turned to see Emmett smiling brightly at me.

"Isabella Swan."

"It's Bella." I gave him a quick smile and began to gather my books.

"Ciao! I'm Emmett Cullen, but you can call me Sexy Beast if you want to." He was a rather enthusiastic fellow. We would never get along. He grabbed my schedule and laughed. "So I see you have Gym next. That just won't do."

"What do you mean?" He grabbed my arm once I had my things in order and led me in the opposite direction of the gym, throwing his arm over my shoulder as we exited the school. "Where are we going. I can't skip on the first day of school."

"Relax. I've got this." We walked into what I guessed was the health room, considering it had a red cross painted on the door. "Mrs. Westlake?"

"Oh, what is it now Emmett." A voice emerged from behind the desk and finally a thin, middle-aged woman stood up and set a stack of files on her desk. She looked very tired and annoyed until she noticed me, then she pulled herself together and walked towards me, taking my hand and shaking it. "You must be Isabella Swan."

"It's Bella." I whispered politely, feeling a faint blush paint my cheeks.

"Well aren't you gorgeous." She touched my cheek awkwardly and returned her attention to Emmett. "So what can I do for you two?"

"You see, Mrs. Westlake, Bella has gym class next and she is having," He nudged my arm and then whispered something in Mrs. Westlake's ear. Her face looked horrified and she slapped Emmett across the shoulder.

"Why on Earth would you know about that."

"She could barely get up from her desk after Biology, and when I asked what was wrong she refused to tell me, and that cute little blush just covered her face. Now I live with three women. I know when there is a bad case of lady troubles. So I was wondering if you could give her some Advil and tell Coach Clapp that she would be in the library studying with me until she feels better."

"Oh, you poor thing." She stroked my arm and Emmett covered the smirk he had plastered across his face.

"She was planning on going to gym too."

"Well good Lord. Here." She scampered off to a cabinet and returned with two Advil and a cup. She slid the cup under a water dispenser and handed it to me. I quickly knocked back the medicine and drank the rest of the water. "Okay, I'll call your teacher. Emmett please look after her." She led us out the door. "If you start feeling worse please come back and see me."

"Piece of cake." Emmett laughed and we walked into the library and sat down at a table.

"Why did you do that?" I leaned towards him to gain his full attention.

"Because gym sucks and it's your first day. Geez, a simple thank you would suffice." He pouted like a little puppy and I slapped his shoulder just as the nurse had minutes ago. "Oooh, she's got an arm on her. Edward didn't mention that after he drove you home yesterday. He also didn't mention how stunning you are." He reached out and touched my face. Heat filled my cheeks and Emmett let out a loud guffaw only to be shushed harshly by the librarian. "You blush more than any girl I have ever met in my entire life."

"Is that a large number?" I was curious to see what kind of social life these Cullens lead.

"Why not? I'm a handsome guy, don't you think?" I accidentally let a small giggle loose and Emmett playfully slapped me in the shoulder in retaliation. "Harsh, little Bella." He cupped my chin and stared deeply into my eyes for a few moments until something behind me caught his attention. "Yo, Eddy! Over here." This would only happen to me. I get caught flirting with the enemies kin. Then something struck me. Winning the favor of a most beloved brother would mean that by default I would win the favor of a certain Edward. But why did I want to win his favor, didn't he agree that he disliked me. This obsession had to end. I needed to find something to entertain me enough to where I wouldn't obsess over this goddamn Edward Cullen anymore. I felt his presence at the table and lifted me head to study his expression. He had that same stupid smile plastered across his face, but his eyes held some kind of anger, or was it jealousy? Was he jealous that I was making time with his brother instead of him? That would mean that he actually had feelings for me. Dare to dream, Bella.

"What are you guys doing." His voice was hard and cut the air as it escaped from his lips. Emmett seemed to sense the harshness of his tone and slapped him playfully on the back.

"Nothing at all. Hey, did I tell you Bella is going with me to the winter formal." What the fuck?

"What?" Both Edward and I said the same thing at the same time but with separate expressions. His held a tone of anger, mine a tone of offense.

"Yeah, Bella. I was just about to ask you anyways." He ran his tongue across his upper lip waiting for a confirmation. What a douche bag. So, what if he was sexy, and ripped, and… sexy.

"Okay, but I would have said no. I don't dance."

"Don't or won't?" Edward questioned.

"Both. I'm extremely clumsy."

"Oh, come on Bella! We're going together. I can help you dance. In case you haven't noticed, I am well endowed and I'm pretty much positive I can catch you if you stumble." Emmett pointed to his exposed bicep and all I could do was laugh at the idiocy of that statement.

"Thanks Emmett, but I'm going to Seattle anyways. I have some things I need to get." Emmett nodded in defeat and I could have sworn I heard Edward let out a sigh of relief, but I didn't get my hopes up. So for the rest of the period I studied for a Spanish quiz while Edward and Emmett discussed various subjects that were of no interest to me.

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"Bella, wait up." Edward jogged towards me as I headed over to Mike's car where he and his friends waited for me to join them.

"What is it." I asked as he caught up to me.

"Do you need a ride to Seattle Saturday?"

"Why are you offering." He looked a bit confused, but answered my question anyways with a nod. "Tempting as that sounds, I'm pretty sure I've had my fill of you driving habits."

"I swear I'll drive slower. Come on."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going up there too, and carpooling is eco-friendly." I laughed a little and his face lightened. Something about the way light hit his face dazzled me. Sounds stupid, I know, but it was like tiny little diamonds glistened from his pale skin catching my eye, and I dare not look away for fear that if I chanced even one blink the magic would be gone forever. Obviously he had noticed the daze he had put me in and quickly snapped in front of my eyes, chuckling as he did so. "Bella, I'll pick you up at ten."

"Okay." I stood for a moment watching him leave, wondering how someone could make me feel this way. Jake had never made me feel even close to the way I felt at that moment, and I hadn't even touched the guy yet. Forks, Washington had surprised me. It's like my life had started all over again; new house, new school, and new friends, but this life was more… something. I wasn't sure what that something was, but I wasn't going to wait around to find out.

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**Please Review!!!! The next chapter should be done before the week is out.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Okay, so it is a little late, but i promise i had no control! i had a recital and i wasn't in writing mode. But here is what i was able to do, so i hope this can tide you over until i can write more.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the song **_**Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head **_**by B.J. Thomas or ****Wuthering Heights ****by Emily Bronte.**

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_Raindrops keep falling on my head  
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red  
Crying's not for me_

"Bella? Bella, are you listening to me?"

_Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'  
Because I'm free_

"Get your head back in the window, it's pouring!"

_Nothing's worrying me._ "Mike, it's fine." I pulled my head inside the car and rolled the window up, smiling the entire time.

"Well, now that I have your attention I would like to ask you why you were talking to Edward Cullen?"

"We're friends."

"Friends? Bella, Edward only interacts with his own family; and since you are not a Cullen I have to assume that he is using you for something."

"What would he be using me for?" I hoped he didn't have an answer, and the six minutes of angry silence proved me right.

"Bella, you are new here, so I wouldn't expect you to understand. But the thing is, the Cullens are… different, and Edward is the most "different" of them all. While the others date and socialize Edward hides. In all of my years at this school, I have never seen Edward even touch a girl, let alone become friends with one. He never comes to any school functions, he hardly comes out on weekends, and he really doesn't have much of a personality from what I gather. I guess the only reason he gets attention is because of his looks and the general mystery that comes with it." We sat in silence for a while. Thankfully, we pulled up to my house before I was forced to break the silence with my retaliation.

"Well, here we are. Thank you for the ride." I bounded out of the car and ran up to the steps, sliding slightly on a patch of ice, but regaining my stride as I reached the door and entered the house.

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For the first time in my life I skipped. I fell three times on my way to the kitchen, but at least I fought the good fight. There's something so freeing about an empty house, that you just want to dance and sing at the top of your lungs, but since I can't bring myself to chance either of those feats, so I decided to show my appreciation by skipping into the kitchen and grabbing a Diet Coke, and then skipping to the couch where I began re-reading Wuthering Heights for English. Somewhere along the way, probably around Chapter 4, I checked the time and then headed up to my room for a nap where, almost immediately, I dozed off and began dreaming…

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I found myself staring out a small window pain viewing a scene filled with rolling hills of heather and grass. Far off, the full moonlight glistened off of the water of the bogs, and the branches of a tree near the window shivered as the whispering force of the wind nudged them gently. It was late. I turned and scampered up the wooden steps avoiding the creaky boards for fear that their squeals would awaken my family. Once up the stairs, I quickly hurried to my room and quietly closed the door behind myself. I sat my candle on the ledge next to my diaries and began searching my bookshelf for something to read before I went to sleep. I wasn't sure what I had intended to pick out, but my hand quickly returned with a worn, leather-bound notebook which, due to frequent use, fell open in my hands. I could barely make out the words in the darkness, so I made my way over to the light of the candle and stared down at the sentences screaming for my attention.

"My greatest miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning; my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and _he _remained, I should still continue to be; and all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger; I should not seem a part of it. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath—a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I _am_ Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind—not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don't talk of our separation again; it is impracticable, and—"

And that was it. I searched page after page and every time I flipped another blank page laughed at me, mocking my inability to comprehend. Then, out of nowhere, I grabbed a letter opener from my desk across the room and returned to the bookshelf. For a moment I asked myself what exactly it was that I was going to accomplish by doing this. And before I knew it I was staring at carvings madly scraped into wood. In all kinds of fonts and sizes I had repeatedly carved the names: _Isabella Swan, Isabella Cullen, Isabella Black_.

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Suddenly, I awoke shooting up in my bed with the covers ripped from their proper place, strewn every way possible. I could hear the gently hum of the TV downstairs, and the clink my Charlie's beer can made as he returned it to the table. What the fuck was that dream?

"Oh good, you're awake." Edward! I quickly turned my head to see a boy I had never seen before, sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of my room. He had sandy blonde hair that I imagined came down to about his shoulders, but it was too hard to tell for sure because it was tied back into a low ponytail. He had pale blue eyes and some kind of glint in his eyes, as if something shiny was being reflected. Who the hell was he? What the hell was he doing in my room?

"Get out!" I screamed and jumped off of the bed attacking him.

"Woah there, crouching tiger, I can't really do that right now." He laughed holding onto my wrists as I wriggled like a water-deprived fish.

"What do you mean you can't leave? How the hell did you get in here in the first place?" I panted as he picked me up and threw me over one shoulder and tossed me onto my bed with ease. Obviously, I needed to pick my battles, so I chose to sit still, for now. He returned to his seat in the rocking chair, and began to sway back and forth.

"Well, I didn't see you at school today, but you, my dear, are the talk of the town. Naturally, I felt left out not having a class with you, and I had to see you for myself. So, I found out where you lived and climbed up the tree outside your room and came in through that open window. But at the top, the branches got a little weak and couldn't support me, so they broke off and just as I was about to leave, your dad walked in the front door. Imagine his surprise, if a boy, such as me, were to walk out of your room while you were sleeping. To tell you the truth, in any other case I probably would have done it, but seeing as how your father is chief of police, I though I would spare myself the possibility of being arrested." Now is one of those times I wish I had a can of mace.

"You left something out of your little story."

"Hmm. What?" He knew. I could tell by the way he was looking at me like I was some kind of meal.

"Your name." I answered flatly so that he wouldn't have the chance to mistake inflection for curiosity.

"Oh, how cute. You want to know my name. I'm James, Isabella." The way he said my name caused chills to shudder against my spine. It was a soft liquid voice, but there was something demonic about his tone that scared me stiff.

"Bella." I corrected in my monotone. "And to correct your alibi, there are plenty of other branches on that tree."

"Hmm. You caught me. Well, maybe I just wanted to watch you. You're a very interesting little girl, tossing and turning in your sleep and mumbling inaudible things occasionally. Stopping every few minutes or so with some kind of thoughtful expression on your face. Very interesting." His eyes narrowed and for a moment I was afraid he would strike at me like a snake, but he stayed where he was licking his lips and shifting his weight to rock the chair he sat in.

"Leave." I spoke in a stern voice. He smiled wider at my remark and leaned forward in the rocking chair.

"No." He whispered quietly, his voice filled with silent venom.

"Why?" I realized moments after the word passed my lips that I should never have asked. He chuckled slightly and rose from his seat closing the space between us.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. I would like to say that I am an experienced guy, but my experience is limited to what I encounter in this area. You see, after a while these Forks girls, they get a bit boring, and I need something exciting. Sure, I tried my hand in Seattle, but it was the same old story; then you came along and caused such a stir."

"So what? I could end up being the same as every other girl here." He kept creeping towards me, inches away now as he spoke once more.

"Oh, and she's smart too. That's exactly why I came into your room today. I had to make sure I wasn't wasting my time. Let me assure you, you are no waste of time." I struggled to keep my face away as he grabbed it and stroked my cheek with his thumb. "I could have you right here and now, but I think I may just wait. I want to see what you become at this school before I ruin your reputation in this town forever." He then grabbed my face with a much firmer grip and violently kissed me as I struggled and pounded my fists at his chest. When he was done he leaned back into my view and looked me straight in the eyes and leaned into my ear and whispered, "Don't worry, I will be back soon." He then let me go and walked towards the window, climbing through and grasping one of the branches as he made his way down the tree.

I was frozen where I sat, knowing there were so many things to think about, so much worry to deal with. What if he came back again while I was sleeping? What was he going to do with me once he had me? Would I be able to get away?

I didn't think of any of those things. All that came to my mind as I sat staring at the tree as it shook and swayed outside my window was that carving from my dream. _Bella Cullen_. I wanted Edward. I wanted him here to keep me safe. The thought presented so many new questions. Would he want to keep me safe? Did he think about me the way I thought about him? Most likely, he thought of me as just a friend. Like Mike said, Edward didn't date, he didn't socialize. The Cullens mostly kept to themselves and he was the most isolated of them all.

The sound of the doorbell broke me from my trance. Fear filled my chest for some odd reason and I listened carefully to decipher what was going on. Charlie answered the door and mumbled inaudible words, then came the voice of another, a man. There were more words from Charlie and then the door closed and I could hear footsteps from the foyer heading up the stairs. They inched closer and closer to my door. Then there was a knock.

"Yes." I spoke uneasily.

"Bells, you want to go grab some dinner at the diner?" It was Charlie, thank god! I don't think I could deal with another surprise today.

"Yeah, just let me change."

"Okay." This was a good thing. I could go out and get my mind off of Edward for the first time since I arrived here.

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I was wrong.

I thought of him while I was getting ready, as I walked down the stairs, on the car ride to the diner, as I ordered my food, while I ate, and on the way home. I thought of him even more while I was in the shower, as I washed my face, while I brushed my teeth, and during the phone call I had with my mother.

"Honey, how is Forks? You've hardly said anything. You're just leaving me to do all the talking."

"It's great. Everyone is really friendly and nice. I like it here."

"Oh, baby, that's wonderful." There was a pause as she assessed my tone. Mom's always knew when something was wrong. "What is it?"

"It's nothing, Mom." I reassured her, trying my best to hide thoughts of Edward.

"Bella, who is it? Is it a boy? Oh, is he cute?" It's a boy named Edward Cullen, and yes, he is the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on.

"God, Mom, no… it's just. It's hard starting all over. I mean, I have had to correct everyone about my name and their all so interested in my personal life. People in Phoenix just aren't as pushy."

"Bells, you have to understand that Forks is a very small town. Everyone knows everyone, and their business. You'll get used to it, and maybe even learn to enjoy it. Just hang in their." There was a loud clatter on the other end and I heard my mom curse under her breath. "Shit. Oh, Bella, I'm a disaster, a complete mess without you here." I laughed to myself, knowing my mother was learning how to care for herself for the first time since I had learned how to cook and clean. "I can't even make pasta without everything burning to a crisp. Listen, Bella, I've gotta' go pick up some takeout before Phil gets home from practice. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Of course, love you."

"Love you too." There was some more clattering and a few curse words here and there and then the phone finally clicked out.

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I don't remember when or how, but, suddenly, I was asleep. I opened my eyes to see a window pane, splattered with falling rain. I watched the droplets for a few moments as they hit the glass and grew, only to collect into a small droplet and travel down to the wooden frame. I could have watched them for hours, but I had something to do. I wasn't sure what it was, but I had to do it. I quickly picked up a candle sitting on a desk next to me and made my way hastily up the creaking wooden stairs. I made sure to pick up the hem of my nightgown so I did not trip over it, and once I had reached the summit, I made my way to my room. I entered and closed the door behind me, candle still in hand, and as I turned around my eyes met a separate pair. One eye was bright, emerald green and the other was a dull, pale blue color. Each had their own expression. The green was soft but unreadable, and the blue was angry and consumed with lust. I could almost see through the blue, but the green remained a mystery. It would dart away and then return to my sight, but the blue was fixated; it never blinked and it never glanced away for even a millisecond. I felt uneasy. A rock filled the space where my lungs used to sit and I began gasping for air. Soon my eyes drifted in and out of focus and my mind struggled to remain conscious, and as I slipped into darkness I reached out for the one thing in the room that was solid. I reached a hand out and touched the etched carving in the bookcase and read them. _Bella Cullen_. Then I was gone, dark consumed me and I floated in a deep abyss, wondering what could have been.

**Everybody Read. Everybody Review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**The school year is ending… thank the Lord, college here I come! So, I promise, promise, promise that I will start getting these chapters longer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost or "La belle dame sans merci" and "Song of the Indian Maid" by John Keats. I also do not own Twilight… but if I did Breaking Dawn would have been a satisfying end to the saga. **

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Okay, day two. After a nice long sleep I was ready for anything these people could throw my way.

Right… the truth is I was a wreck. I tossed and turned all night thinking about my stupid dream, what it meant, and why the hell I was so obsessed with a stupid boy. What was so great about him that I had to lose sleep assessing every movement he had made since we first met?

I quickly hopped out of bed and ran into the bathroom before Charlie woke up. One bathroom, enough said. And after I had my morning shower, I got dressed, ate a bowl of Cheerios, and scaled the stairs back up to my room to retrieve my backpack.

While I rummaged around my room in an attempt to locate my math book I heard a honk sounding from outside. I quickly ran to the window expecting to see Mike, smiling his annoyingly bright smile, ready to get to school, and I was not disappointed. As I waved at Mike and motioned "one-minute," I grabbed my math book from under my bed and ran downstairs.

"So, did you sleep well?" Mike was making small talk.

"Sure." I find it best to lie in these situations. It puts an end to the awkward task of having to pretend that you actually care about what the person is talking about.

"That's good. Ready for day two?"

"Of course." False. I was most certainly not ready, and the remainder of the ten minute drive, I contemplated various situations that could occur in Biology.

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"Oh, Bella! Walk with me to lunch!" The short brown haired girl whose name escapes me waddled up to me after Spanish. I wouldn't have noticed her at all had she not screeched in that annoyingly fake voice of hers.

"Umm. Sure." It started with a J… Julia?

"So, Angela and I are going to the nearest city, Port Angeles, this afternoon. We are going to shop for our Winter Formal dresses and I was thinking you should totally come with us." Jennifer? What the heck was her name?

"I would love to, really I would, but I'm not going to the Winter Formal." Jessica… YES! Jessica was her name.

"Oh, haha." She giggled and tossed her hair. "I just wanted to know if you just wanted to tag along, you know give us a second opinion."

"Well, that sounds like fun. I'll come."

"Don't get me wrong, it's just that… everyone knows you aren't going to formal." I could sense a small smugness in her tone. "I mean, you turned down Emmett Cullen. Of course people are going to talk. What kind of idiot turns down a date with a god?" I was a little put off by all of her hostility.

"I guess I'm the freak." I laughed it off passing it as a joke.

"Haha. Yep." Not a chance. What a bitch. "Well, I'm going with Mike. I totally thought he was going to ask you, but I guess not." Payback time.

"Oh… well he did, but I turned him down." The snotty little smile she had plastered across her face immediately transformed into red-faced anger. But just as quickly as it appeared it disappeared as they entered the lunchroom and Mike called out their names and waved them over to the table. "Hey Mike."

"Hey, we saved you guys seats." Jessica immediately plopped down into the seat between Angela and set up camp, pulling her lunch bag out of her backpack and unpacking the items the small sack held: Peanut butter sandwich, carrots, chips, Oreos, your basic school lunch, nothing to hate about that. Oh, how I wished she had pulled out a Twinkie or a bologna sandwich or something else disgusting and I could bring up conversation about the process of making bologna or the fat in a Twinkie. There was always tomorrow.

As I made my way down the line at the salad bar, I carefully arranged my ingredients. Large leaves of Romaine on the bottom; cucumbers fanning out around the small cherry tomatoes cradled in the lettuce. I lined the carrots around the cucumbers and sprinkled croutons and blue cheese over the tomatoes in the center. Art. Food is really as crafty as I can be. I grasped an apple just in time to small hear a voice behind me.

"Bella." I knew it was Edward before I even turned my head. Whenever his soft voice so much as whispered past my ear cool chills swam up my spine, filling my body.

"Edward." I replied, planting coy undertones to keep things interesting.

"Nice salad. Like a painting." It wasn't even a grand complement, but my face heated anyways.

"I guess you could say that. It's my attempt to make this cafeteria food somewhat appealing."

"Nice." He grabbed a tomato from the salad bar and gently tossed it into his mouth. I couldn't help but stare at his jaw as it tensed and relaxed with each bite he took. "Come on." He waved towards me and began walking towards his usual table with Jasper and Emmett. I looked back at Mike's table. They were all staring at me, most in awe, but a few with anger, namely Jessica and Mike.

"Oh, Mike already asked me to sit at his table. So, I should probably—" He cut me off before I could decline.

"Oh please." He gently grasped my forearm and led me to the table. Emmett glared at Edward and then smiled my way pulling out a chair next to him patting the seat. I quickly sat and set down my salad and apple.

"Bella, I don't think you have officially met Jasper yet." Edward motioned toward Jasper, who raised his head from his rather large book he had been reading.

"Ciao, Bella." He smiled softly and gave me a wink. It wasn't the first time I had heard that one-liner, but the coy comment worked for him. Why the hell did these Cullen men have to be so goddamn charming.

"What are you reading?" I asked with actual curiosity. He tipped the book upwards to show me the cover and I squinted to read the small text.

"Wuthering Heights? Business or pleasure?" Surely he couldn't be reading it for pleasure.

"It's my favorite novel."

"Are you serious?" My face lit up like a toddlers when they walk into their first candy store. "It's my favorite too. That is so weird."

"Weird? Hmm." He smirked at my comment and his blue eyes bore into mine. There was something oddly captivating about him. Edward and Emmett had their differences, but Jasper seemed much, much different. He was oddly artsy, but in a non-"rebellious teen activist" way. "How is it weird, Bella?"

"I don't know. I guess I haven't met many guys who read Bronte, let alone any books at all."

"Well, I'm all but happy to surprise you with my literacy." He smiled and tucked a few honey-colored curls behind his ear and resumed reading. I stared, still wondering if he was a dream, and he glanced up every few minutes to quickly meet my eyes and smirk.

"I read too Bella!" Emmett shouted with a mouth full of some sort of meat.

"Yeah, Sports Illustrated." Jasper joked as he closed his book and leaned on his arms as they rested on the table. "Well, usually; I don't think you "read" the swimsuit editions." I choked on a bit of apple as Emmett's playful grin quickly turned upside down. I almost though he would lunge across the table, but he held his ground and merely glared at Jasper from afar. "So, Bella, besides Bronte and Austen, what do you read?"

"I never said I read Austen."

"But you do." He laughed to himself and then returned his attention to my next answer.

"Yes I read Austen, but I also read Dickens, Hemingway, and a variety of poetry."

"Poetry… like who?"

"Keats is my favorite."

"_I met a lady in the meads _

_Full beautiful, a faery's child_

_Her hair was long, her foot was light_

_And her eyes were wild—_"

He leaned over as if he had more to say, but instead chuckled and then stood, grabbing his book off of the table. "Well, I've got a project to finish. See you guys later." He then looked straight into Bella's eyes and smiled. "Bella, it was a pleasure." As he looked at me a feeling arose in my chest. It was like a balloon that had been buried between my lungs had popped and all of this warm liquid rushed out, heating my body and relaxing tension the balloon had created. Everything felt symmetrical and perfect, a feeling I had never experienced before. I watched him for a moment, but something hit my face and I returned my attention to Emmett and Edward.

"What's your problem?" Emmett questioned as he tossed another piece of French fry towards my face.

"I don't know." I wasn't sure why this was my reply, but as the words left my mouth a strange look swept over both Emmett and Edward's faces. I ignored the looks and took a large bite out of my apple and began chewing and all the while they were watching. "What?"

They both looked at each other and answered, "Nothing." So I returned to my meal and finished as quickly as possible, dying to remove myself from the awkward situation.

"Well, I'm going to go study. Have a nice day." I smiled and picked up the remainder of my lunch and headed towards the trash can, just far enough away to hear what they said as I left.

"He strikes again!" Emmett bellowed as he threw the torn fry down onto his tray and threw his hands up in defeat. Edward simply brought a hand to his forehead and shook his head no, laughing a few times a laugh that seemed forced.

I really didn't want to leave the table; but when Jasper left I felt I had so much more to ask him. I wanted to know which Keats poem was his favorite and ask what intrigued him about Wuthering Heights, but most of all I wanted to know what else I had in common with him. Maybe Jasper held that passion I had been searching for. Maybe my recurring dream had been deceiving me and Jasper was the Cullen I subconsciously wanted to be with. I had to find out either way. So I quickly jogged to my locker and switched out my books for afternoon classes. As I removed and retrieved binders and textbooks I contemplated what I would say when I saw him. He would probably think I was weird following him around. For some reason I didn't care. So I walked right into the library and searched for him only to see him sitting at a table across the room, staring at me with that smug smirk on his face as he put his book down and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, well." He pushed out the chair across from him and I sat down firmly to state my presence. He slowly tucked his head down once more and continued to read, a smile lingering on his face all the while.

"What do you like about it?" I questioned a few moments later after seeing him look very seriously at the page he was reading.

"Everything." He said, not even glancing away from the page for a minute.

"What do you like about Keats."

"I don't remember saying I did."

"That's true, but you didn't quote Ode to a Grecian Urn or Ode to the West Wind. La belle dame sans merci is a bit obscure for someone uninterested." He smiled as I proudly called him out. I felt somewhat superior until I realized he had been playing teacher, trying to get me to figure out his likes and dislikes without being directly informed.

Unfortunately the bell rang before I could discover more about him, but the trip to the library wasn't a total loss. I knew he and I had some similarities, and I knew now that everything he did was some kind of game to keep me on my toes; which I sort of liked.

Of course I didn't know if Jasper's flirting was actual infatuation or if he just did this on a daily basis. Either way, for the rest of the day I wondered whether pursuing Jasper would be beneficial to my search for passion. The only person I had considered since I arrived in Forks was Edward because of his peculiar manner and stunningly beautiful appearance. I dreamed most nights, the most peculiar dreams followed by harsh awakenings greeted by a cold sweat. So, it was only natural that I began to question whether my time would be better spent with someone less cryptic. To tell the truth, by the end of the day I nearly hated Edward for his lack of effort.

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"Bella." Edward's voice called out as I made my way past the front double doors of the school.

"What?" I turned to face him, a strangely defeated look on his face.

"_She is so constant to me, and so kind:_

_I would deceive her_

_And so leave her,_

_But ah! She is so constant and so kind._" He looked so sad that I hardly even took the time to analyze the verses he had recited. I playfully shoved his shoulder and he looked up and met my eyes.

"What the hell?" He smiled, but it wasn't the crooked smile I had dreamt of for nights on end, it was forced.

"Can I give you a ride home?"

"No." He looked down and the ground. "It's just that, I told Jessica that I would go with her and Angela to Port Angeles to look for dresses for the formal." They want my opinion. God knows why they think I know anything about shopping." I pointed to my green bowling shirt I had paired with a pair of beat up Levis. It wasn't that I didn't try with clothes, it was that I had given up all hope. I had no idea why it mattered whether I wore bangles with brown dresses or yellow J. Crew sweaters. Everything was so unnecessary and overpriced, so I decided to take a "who cares" attitude about clothing choices.

"Okay, well have fun." He smiled and began heading to his car, meeting Jasper and Emmett on the way. Jasper looked up and me and gave a subtle wave, as if it was a secret between the two of us. I still wasn't sure about him. Maybe he was just one of those good guys you want as a friend, or maybe there was more.

"Bella!" A small voice squealed from afar. "Bella! Over here." Oh, Jessica. Thank goodness Angela would be with us or I might have to kill myself. "Come on!"

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"How do these look?" Angela and Jessica emerged from the dressing rooms wearing their fiftieth dresses so far. I swear this was as fun as watching paint dry. It would have been at least a little bit better had there been something worthwhile to read, but all they had were prom magazines and thousands of copies of Cosmopolitan. I was currently reading an article on "Sex in Water: are you at risk of yeast infection?"

"Bella can you zip this up the rest of the way?" Angela turned around in a pale blue dress. It had one shoulder and sparkles cascading from the side. It looked amazing with her skin tone, of course, so had all of the other dresses. After I zipped her up she turned to the full length mirror and smiled. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks amazing."

Jessica grunted from the next dressing room. "Amazing, awesome, beautiful, great; you've said the same thing about every dress." She emerged in a rose colored dress that plunged, showing more than enough cleavage for my liking, but to each his own. "I love that one Angela. I think that is it."

Angela smoothed the fabric across her stomach. "I don't know. I really liked the light pink one, and the mint one, and the lavender. I just have no idea." Jessica spotted something on a rack and snatched it. Zebra print.

"Here, try this one. All you've been doing is pastels, you need to branch out."

"I don't know about that." She touched the dress and eyed it skeptically.

"Come on. This isn't prom, you can have fun with it." They both perused some more dresses and the room began feeling very cramped and they returned with about ten more choices each. I had to leave, if only for a few minutes. I glanced out the window and spotted a bookstore peaking over a couple of rows of buildings. It sat on a hill with a few other older looking shops. It beckoned me to search it's shelves for something worthwhile instead of rotting in this hell hole of a shop.

"Hey guys, do you mind if I meet you at the restaurant. I want to check out that bookstore over on that hill." Angela emerged first.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm not really any help to you guys anyway. I just don't know much about dresses."

"That's for sure." Jessica scoffed from inside her dressing room.

"Okay, well be careful. That hill may look easy to get to, but the trek up that hill is brutal. There is all kinds of stuff sticking out of the ground." Angela warned.

"Yeah, Tracy Marcus totally broke her leg when she tripped on a root growing out between some steps." Jessica chimed in.

"How can those places be open if it is so hard to get to it?"

"The store has all of these historical books of the tribe that lives out on a reservation near here. Plus, they have all kinds of first edition copies of certain books that are on display, it's interesting to say the least."

"It's boring as shit if you ask me. Why would I risk my life to look at some stupid books?" I had begun to notice that the more time I spent with Jessica, the more increasingly rude she became. So I seized this moment of silence as an opportunity to take my leave.

"Sounds like fun to me. I'll be careful. See you guys at the restaurant." So I left the dress shop and began my journey to the store.

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**Ten minutes later:** I was staring at the bookstore from the bottom of a mountain. I should have believed them. It was HUGE! It was like one of those huge Mayan staircase things, but it was covered in sharp rocks and large roots, and the staircase was a collection of little stones that wobbled and crumbled beneath my feet.

**Five minutes after that: **Too high. Too much climbing. The staircase had vanished. All there was left was a steep incline of slippery grass and large ferocious rocks. Me being the clumsy person that I am, I knew that sooner or later I was going to come down, and every second I stayed up was simply an addition to the force that I would fall off of this mountain.

**One millisecond after that:** I still don't know how it happened. One minute I was up and the next I was barreling downhill rolling over hard rocks and painfully large roots. All I wanted was to stop but I was restricted by the ground and gravity's vindictive fury, so I let the universe spin fiercely around me as I plummeted into an abyss of bruising and tearing until finally something stopped me by force. It was large and hard, probably a tree. I was too tired to look so I just remained lying across the grass recuperating before I would head to the restaurant and meet Jessica and Angela.

"Bella?" Ugh. Another stupid dream!

"Leave me alone!" I swatted what I imagined to be a dream cloud, but I hit flesh causing a loud slapping noise and I heard a person above me hiss with pain. I immediately shot up too fast causing me and said person's heads to collide.

"What the fuck." He shouted as I fell back onto the grass clutching my head and felt my mystery acquaintances body hit the ground and shuffle around to get comfortable. I opened my eyes and glanced in his direction, focusing my blurry vision to reveal Jasper sitting next to me rubbing his forehead.

"I am so sorry!" I sat up cautiously so I wouldn't cause further damage to my already aching body and placed my hand on his cheek where I had hit him. His cheek was beginning to turn red and there was a large knot forming near his hairline.

"You're sorry? You're worse off that I am." He opened his eyes and grimaced as his eyes raked over my arms and legs. There were huge holes in both knees of my jeans and I could see blood seeping through the fabric. I glanced at my arms and saw the vest I had on was covered with dirt and grass stains while the sleeves of my cotton shirt were torn and stained with blood from my arms. Somehow all of the pain in my body came to life as I saw the effects, all of the sudden my body was on fire and the red blood oozing through my clothes was causing me to become woozy and naseous. "Woah, are you okay?" Jasper steadied me and gazed into my eyes studying my expression. "You look like you are about to faint."

"It's the blood. I always faint at the site of it. Just give me a second." I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes tightly, blocking out any thoughts of blood and focusing on the smell of Jasper's cologne. Or was it deodorant? It smelled a little bit like old spice but with a hint of something more crisp and clean. I could have sat there and analyzed it for hours but I felt better and turned my attention to the fact that my limbs were now mangled and my ankle could possibly be twisted.

"Do you think you can stand up? I can take you to the hospital." I considered it for a moment, but realized how worried Charlie would be and how freaked Renee would get if Charlie mentioned anything about it. It would just be better to meet up with Jessica and Angela at the restaurant and get a ride home.

"I'll be fine if I can just test my ankle. I have to meet some friends at that Italian restaurant across the street. The cuts aren't a problem, I'm a really good clotter." Jasper's face immediately transformed from concerned to amused and he began laughing. A good clotter… what kind of idiot was I?

"Okay, well maybe we should just see if the bookstore has a restroom where you can clean yourself up. It's closer anyways."

"Really? I was sure I had fallen all the way down." I glanced towards the road and saw that it was a good ways away and then looked towards the bookstore and saw that it was only a few yards away.

"Yeah, I saw you rolling down and I ran up and stopped you." He spoke nonchalantly and I looked towards his legs to see that there was a large rip in the right leg of his pants. He had probably tripped running up to get me. I looked up at his face with a thankful glint in my eyes and he chuckled and reached for my hands, lifting me onto my feet. As I pushed weight onto my ankle a sharp distinct pain shot to my knee. I had had many sprained ankles among other injuries and this was only twisted. No harm done, I just had to walk it out and it would be perfectly fine in about two days. "How's the ankle?"

"It's okay. It's just a little twisted." I took a few steps forward towards the bookstore and hissed a little as the tender ankle screeched under pressure.

"It hurts. Here let me help you." He grabbed my right arm and wrapped it around his neck and placed his arm around my waist, pulling my weight into his arm and removing the pressure from my ankles as we climbed up the rest of the hill.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

I cleaned my last scrape in the sink and threw my fifteenth paper towel into the trashcan. When I exited the restroom I hadn't expected to see Jasper still waiting for me. He was thumbing through a tattered brown book but placed it back on the shelf when he saw me.

"Let me help you. Is your ankle still hurting?" I laughed as he resumed savior mode.

"It's fine." I sat down in one of the arm chairs nearby. For the first time it really sunk in how odd it was that he of all people would be the one I ran into here. "So, what is this about?"

"I don't know what you mean." He gave a sly look and then returned to browsing a nearby shelf.

"Really? I told you brother this afternoon that I'm going to Port Angeles and all of the sudden you show up here. Curious." I put my forefinger to my lip and pulled a pensive look.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about." He pushed a book back into its place and began walking slowly towards the chair. "There is no girl in the world who could make me bribe my brother for information, drive all the way to Port Angeles on a school night, check the usual prom store for said girl, and then follow her and save her when she nearly dies falling down a staircase." By the time he finished his palms were pressed against the arms of the chair I sat in and his face was leaning dangerously close to mine.

"Hey, I was not near death." He chuckled as his lips closed in. "I was—" He moved closer, "near—" and closer, "some—" and…

"BELLA!" Jasper immediately recoiled and grabbed a book from the shelf behind my head and sat on the arm of the chair reading. "There you are! We were worried sick." Angela ran over to the chair and hugged me while Jessica stood her distance staring, wide-eyed, at Jasper. Something told me she was first to walk in and saw the little exchange before it was so inconveniently interrupted. "We waited at the restaurant."

"Yeah, we went ahead and ate." Jessica stated bluntly.

"We were starving, and we assumed you were still at the store and would show up… but you didn't. And once we had finished it had been like, thirty minutes later, you still hadn't shown up so we went looking for you." She then glanced down at my stained arms and legs and gasped. "Oh my God! What the heck happened to you?"

"Ah, well, I tripped on something on my way up the hill and I started rolling down the hill. Luckily, Jasper stopped me before too much damage was done." I looked up at him. His nose still stuck in his book.

"This is horrible, Bella! We need to get you to a doctor! Have you had your tetanus shot? These could get infected!" Angela was holding my hand and frantically gazing at my injuries.

Jasper finally stood and put the book he was reading on the shelf and leaned over to look Angela in the eyes. Once he had her attention he smiled and gazed into her eyes. "She's fine, Angela. There's no need to worry. Now, Bella hasn't even gotten to eat or see the bookstore, so I will take care of her and you two can go on home and know she is in good hands." It was like Jasper had cast a spell on her. Angela simply smiled and she and Jessica said their goodbyes and exited the store leaving me and Jasper alone, except for the scary Native American owner, who had made his exit to the back after we had asked for the bathroom a while ago.

"You want to get something to eat?" Jasper asked.

"No, I'm fine. I think I just want to go home and get a few dozen band-aids to finish off this mess."

"Okay, well, my car is at the bottom of the hill." Jasper helped me out of the chair and snaked his arm around my waist to steady me.

"You know, I could have just ridden home with them." I pointed out as we made our way down the steep hill.

"Yeah, but then I would be riding home all alone. I would be so lonely." He faked depression and I playfully hit him in the stomach.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Sadly I slept the whole way home, but when we reached my house Jasper grabbed my arm before I exited his car.

"Can I do something really quick?" Here we go. It was finally time for the kiss. The moment that would let me know he was the Cullen I had been searching for. The one who would show me all the passion this world had to offer.

His lips met mine and I felt…

…………………………………………………………………………………**..**

**Ha ha haha ha! Yeap, that's right, you guys have to wait! I know, I'm a jerk, but you will thank me in the end. It's all part of the process.**

**read AND review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**I know… I left you with a cliffhanger… but you should get used to it because it is a favorite of mine. **

**P.S. Don't call the phone number. I just picked it because it spells Robert P. Not that you would... but 867-5309... nuff said.**

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… nothing; but not for the reason you would think. The second Jasper's lips touched mine I caught sight of Charlie's cop car in the rearview mirror and shoved Jasper away.

He looked completely awestruck and for the first time I had noticed how large his eyes were compared to his face. He looked like a little toddler who had been caught drawing on the wall in Sharpie.

"What… I thought we had…"

"It's not that!" I pointed in to the car that was not pulling into the driveway. "Charlie."

"Shit! I'm so sorry." Jasper carefully watched Charlie get out of his car and walk into the house without so much as a glance towards us.

"It's fine. He didn't see anything." I smiled back at him and he blushed and looked down at his lap.

"So… should we?" He leaned forward but I politely placed my fingertips across his lips and gazed at him apologetically. "Moment's passed?"

"Pretty much." He laughed a little and the vibrations of his voice tickled my fingers. I promptly removed hand from his mouth and gathered my torn vest from the backseat and reached for the door. Once I was out, I leaned down to peer into the window and answered.

"If you're lucky." He chuckled a little bit and then began rolling up the window jokingly. I finally gave up and said my goodbye, turning around to make my way into the house.

I entered the house expecting to see Charlie, prepared for a long talk about boys and the many sexual abuse cases he had dealt with in the town. Instead I saw Charlie, sitting on the couch in front of the television, drinking Rainier Beer and propping his shoeless feet up on the coffee table. Luckily, he barely reacted to my entrance into the house and I had a chance to go upstairs and change out of my tattered clothing and reappear in a long-sleeve tee-shirt and sweatpants to cover my scrapes.

"Hey Dad."

"Hey Bells, how was Port Angeles?" He set his beer down and turned his attention toward me.

"Great. It was really fun. There is a really cool bookstore that I think I want to go back and see."

"Oh, yeah, the one on the hill." He seemed hardly interested and returned to his beer and the ball game while I headed to the kitchen to make a bowl of cereal.

………………………………………………………………………………..

That night I slept soundly, with my dreams free of any cryptic messages or strange period settings, and I woke up the next morning at six o' clock ready to greet the day.

After my shower I got dressed and headed to the window to see if Mike was waiting yet. He was, but so was Jasper. I bolted downstairs to sort out the mess.

"Bella, why is he here?" Mike pointed an accusing finger toward Jacob, who smirked and slowly waltzed our way.

"I came to give Bella a ride to school. I just thought I would help you out, Mike." As Jasper spoke, Mike grew calmer, as if Jasper's voice were casting a spell on Mike to ease his constant anxiety. "You shouldn't have to drive her everyday."

"I guess you're right. Not that I don't enjoy driving you, Bella." Mike smiled and Jasper and gave him a quick pound of the fist, something Jasper didn't seem to comfortable doing, and Mike returned to his car and left.

Jasper placed his hand on the small of my back and walked me to his car, opening the door for me.

"You're so proper. We're going to school, not the prom." I joked sarcastically as he slid into his seat and revved the engine a bit, before peeling away from the curb.

"Geez, sorry I'm a gentleman." He replied with just as much sarcasm. I have to say I was surprised to see that he could hold his own against me.

………………………………………………………………………………..

The rest of the week went according to plan. Jasper picked me up in the morning, and I began eating lunch with him and his brothers while Mike's gang shot me the stink eye from afar.

Jasper and I began to spend a lot of time with each other outside of school also. Instead of driving me home, we would drive out to some trail and hike for a little while just talking. It reminded me so much of how Jacob and I used to be before all of the "couple" business started, which made me think that we were headed down the friends road rather than the relationship road. So, I had to make the all-telling kiss happen before it became too late. Unfortunately I needed the weekend to make that happen and Saturday was already booked for me and Edward's trip to Seattle, so I made a plan. I called it Operation Kiss Jasper at Some Point On Friday, a.k.a. Operation KJASPOF.

It began Friday afternoon as I walked to meet Jasper at his car and he asked me what I wanted to do. I quickly filed my mind for the places we certainly could not go if the kiss were to happen. That ruled out a hike (associated with laughter and friendship) or my house (associated with my father) or Jasper's house (associated with the rest of his family) or anywhere in town (associated with all of my family friends).

"So… If you didn't have an idea I was thinking I could show you another trail." No! No! my mind screamed.

"Well… don't you think we could go somewhere different?" He grimaced a bit at the thought and began persuading me using his magical calming powers.

"Oh, it is different. I promise." He smiled excitedly and quickly turned the key in the ignition and sped out of the parking lot.

About thirty minutes later I found myself seated under the most amazing tree I had ever seen in my life. In the middle of the forest, off some tiny little trail, there was a giant sequoia. I looked up to see that it exceeded the height of all other trees around it and the circumference of it's body was too large for over fifteen of me to wrap around. Jasper led me to a spot at the base of the trunk where the knots formed kind of a natural couch.

"How did you find this?" I asked as I sat.

"I don't really remember. I was just hiking one day and needed a place to sit and rest for a moment and… I don't know." He rubbed his head a bit trying to find the words to describe it.

"Something brought you this way?" I offered stretching myself across the makeshift seat to lay my head in Jasper's lap.

"Yeah." He leaned over and plucked a small purple flower and stuck it behind one of my ears, letting his fingers linger in my brown curls for a few moments afterwards. "I guess you could say that." Now was the time. If I was going to kiss him this would be the moment.

"Jasper?" I looked up at his face as he gazed into my eyes. "Kiss me?"

He smiled and nodded. Soon his face was inching towards me, coming closer every second, and all of a sudden I felt trapped. If he kissed me and I didn't feel anything, I ran the risk of losing a great friendship; but if we kissed and I felt something while he felt nothing… that would probably be worse.

Finally his lips contacted mine. For a moment I thought there was something. As our lips molded together that slight tinge of excitement rushed up my back and faded away all too soon. I begged it to come back by forcing the kiss deeper but nothing changed. I was supposed to be feeling sparks, light, pyrotechnics, a laser show with Pink Floyd playing in the background and all I felt was a heavy pressure rubbing against my lips. It was the same as those times I practiced kissing the back of my hand in elementary school. Apparently Jasper caught on to my dissatisfaction and pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked, sounding rather frustrated. Maybe it wasn't working out for him either, or maybe it was just one of those fluke kisses. There's always a bad kiss with any boy and maybe the first kiss just happened to be the bad egg in the batch.

With a new confidence I re-approached the task. "Nothing. Let's try again." So we made our second attempt only to find that it was worse than the first. I opened my eyes and I swear I saw him wince. We began shifting our position and moving around trying to find a connection but there was nothing to be found.

"It isn't working, is it?" He tried to smile but his eyes deceived him. Disappointment clouded the usual iciness of his eyes turning them a dull sky blue.

"No." His head fell and I immediately sat up and shifted to sit beside him. "I mean, it wasn't bad."

"No, it was fun, just…" We both looked at each other for a moment, studying each other's faces looking for some hidden opinion we couldn't bring ourselves to voice. Then Jasper cracked a smile and we both burst into a fit of laughter commenting on how horrible it was and how nothing before had ever compared to that. "Well, now we know."

Jasper laughed and shoved me in the arm playfully. "It really wasn't as bad as we're making it out to be. I'd do it again."

"Seriously?"

"I mean… if you paid me." He leaned over and flashed me a coy smile.

I politely shoved his face away from mine and scoffed. "Jerk, I know you loved it. You're probably just pretending to agree with me to hide your broken heart."

"How on earth did you figure me out? I thought I was doing such a good job." He pretended to pout and I fawned over him, telling him the "your soul mate is out there some where, waiting for you" speech.

We spent the rest of the afternoon just sitting in silence for the most part but there were moments when we would bring up what we were thinking about. Jasper talked about his two 'sisters' I had yet to meet, Alice and Rosalie; and I talked about Phoenix and my mom. He enjoyed all of my little anecdotes about her aversion to all things technological. Halfway through a story about his 'pixie' sister Alice it dawned on me that Jasper was my first real friend in a while. I always thought my first legitimate Forks friend would be Angela, but since I was avoiding Mike's group entirely it had become a struggle to hang-out without the threat of Jessica chiming in or Eric popping out from behind a locker.

During a moment of silence I studied Jasper as he sat in a small patch of sun in the grass. His skin sort of reflected the light in a strange way like little crystals on chandeliers catching the light and illuminating an entire room. My mine flashed back to Edward. I hadn't thought about him for a while due to my pursuit of Jasper, but now that that was done I could foresee myself obsessing over him again.

Soon it was Edward sitting in front of me, bathed in sunlight, his bronze mane bobbing slightly in the wind. All I wanted was to run my hands through it. So I lowered myself from my seat and crawled towards him. He turned his head towards me and smiled that simple crooked smile and placed his hands on my waist as I sat in his lap. I looked into his green eyes and lifted my hands, beginning just above either of his ears I worked my fingers through his copper locks. It was so soft, like my hands were running through air, and before I knew it my body was immersed in silk. I rolled down hills and mountains with just silk running across my bare skin.

"Hey!" I opened my eyes to see Jasper pointing at my jeans where "Starlight" by Muse was screeching from my pocket. "Your phone is ringing." I quickly retrieved it and checked the number before I flipped it open, but the number didn't seem familiar to me.

"Do you know who, 762-3787 is?"

He turned his head slightly and said, "That's Edward."

Without a single thought I flipped open my phone as fast as I could. "Hello!" I probably shouted too abrasively.

"Hey, it's Edward." Play it cool, Bella. Don't mention your daydream of floating naked through his hair. That would be bad.

"I was just thinking about you." What?

"Yeah, I was wondering if we were still on for tomorrow." I had forgotten all about our trip to Seattle, but now the thought of it was causing stomach to flip and turn.

"Of course. God, that reminds me I have to make my list."

"You better get on that."

"What time are you picking me up?"

"What time is good for you?"

"Umm. Not early?"

"That's not vague at all."

"Well, I don't know."

He laughed and gave an exaggerated sigh, "I'm just going to pick you up at noon."

"Sounds good." How could this guy do these things to me. Not twenty minutes ago I was infatuated with Jasper and not even thinking about Edward. Then BAM! He calls me and I hear that warm liquid voice and I'm done. My woman parts flame up and I'm down for the count.

"Oh, one rule."

"What's that?"

"No complaining about my driving again."

"No promises."

"Okay, then the rule is you can't turn into an enraged maniac about my driving."

"Deal."

There was an awkward pause and Edward finally broke the ice.

"See you tomorrow then."

"Bye." A few seconds later I heard the beep signaling an ended phone call. I stared blankly at my phone hoping it wasn't over, that maybe he would call back any minute. Once I had given up hope I turned my attention to a gawking Jasper Cullen. "What?"

"Nothing." He shrugged his shoulder as if he didn't care, but he held a curious smirk on his face as he turned his face back to the sun. "We better go, it'll be dark soon."

…………………………………………………………………………………

I'm back in the moors. Standing in front of the window. I touch the pains as if to say I missed you, and I did. Over the course of one week so many things can change. It seemed like I had fallen for a boy, been threatened by another, then fallen for another boy, then realized we were friends, then fallen again for the first boy. I shook my long exaggerated locks full of pin curls and extensions while I adjusted my white lace nightgown. As I waltzed up the familiar creaky stairs the gown flowed behind me and caught the candle light as I opened the door and entered my room. A draft blew my curls and I met the eyes of my prince, standing by the foot of my bed clad in a tattered tan vest over his white linen shirt. He was wearing the pants that were tight with a little extra fabric to cushion that special little friend, like Darcy wears in Pride and Prejudice.

"You're here." I whispered breathlessly. He stood there fighting his urge to take me right there in the doorway so I ran to him and threw my arms helplessly around his neck burying my face in his chest.

Suddenly his arms pushed back my shoulders and he dropped his head between us.

"Yes, I came back." I ran my hands through his bronze locks, slowly scratching his scalp and pulling his face into my chest. He surrendered his body to me, growing limp in my arms and throwing his arms around my waist closing the space between us. "We shouldn't do this." He mumbled against my skin.

My hands reached his neck and I lift his head abrasively, gazing longingly into his emerald colored pools clouded with doubt. "Please." I whispered into his ear, and something in his body switched. "I'm surrendering to you, please." His grip tightened around the back of my nightgown as he ripped the fabric with ease exposing my naked breast.

The beast I had been waiting for had arrived. He snarled and moaned as he ripped his vest and tore of his shirt throwing them aside and pushing away my nightgown to press his naked chest against me. I could feel his heartbeat pulsing and could feel the blood gathering between his legs just a pool began to gather between mine. He fingered the sides of my little white panties, running his thumbs along the hems and letting his fingers linger against my warm skin causing chills to run up my spine and a small twang to beat against my core. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to have him. So I quickly unlaced his pants and pushed his pants down to his ankles and he stepped out of them, but when I reached for his underwear he grabbed my hands tenderly and lifted me up to face him. He cradled my cheek in one of his hands while the other pushed down his boxers. He held my head high so I couldn't look down and lifted me, pulling back the covers and laying me on the bed. I watched his expression carefully as his face inched closer to mine, his hands were running along my jaw, his body was pressed against mine.

"Kiss me." He shivered against my body, but found the strength to push me away for a moment.

"We shouldn't."

I dug my nails into his back and he shoved his cock against my inner thigh. Everything was over now. There was no holding back and finally his lips crashed against mine, he took my lower lip into his mouth, biting it and sucking as I shoved my core against his abdomen, begging him to remove the thing peace of cloth that was keeping me from total ecstasy. He began ravishing me, licking down my body and running his hands along my stomach, pausing only to remove that stupid little piece of lace. And then it was time. Time for me to feel the passion I had been looking for. His lips ran over one of my breasts and his tongue flicked out at my nipple before he took it into his mouth, and my hips bucked wildly. Suddenly, he took my wrists into his hands and pinned me against the mattress, lifting his head to stare deeply into my eyes.

"Don't move." He begged as his hands left my wrist to stroke down my body and steady my wild hips. As he adjusted himself to prepare for the final plunge I caught a glimpse of the rest of him. My eyes followed a small trail of bronze hair from his navel down to the space between his legs. At first I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me; my prince couldn't possibly have three legs. My virgin eyes had deceived me and my mouth was left hanging open. He chuckled slightly, not in a cocky way, but sweetly as he closed my jaw and drove his long, hard cock into my saturated center. I felt a sudden sharpness and cried out for him to stop, but he stood his ground whispering in my ear that everything would be okay and I rode through the pain. Before I knew it I was full. It felt like Edward had filled every open space in my body and as he shoved in and out my body tightened and matched his rhythm. His moans empowered me to harden my actions. I bit at his shoulder and tore at his back and in return he pounded into my pussy, hitting the special spot that drove me insane. I screamed for more and he delivered and soon the intense feelings became too much and I exploded into tiny little stars and lit up the sky, Edward's thrusts became my heartbeat and he brought me back together. I grabbed and pulled at his hair too make sure I was real and I felt a twitching sensation radiating from his divine cock. He emptied himself into me and I soaked up every drop, savoring the last warmth before he exited my raw core.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

I woke up in a cold sweat and checked the alarm clock by my bed, begging for just an hour or so to return to my dream. Sadly, the clock said 10:00 and it was time for me to face reality.

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**Yay... next chapter is Seattle... lemons will arrive very soon!!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

**Okay so... this chapter was a lot more intense than I intended but I guess that's just one of the tricks of the trade. **

**P.S. I do not own Twilight... damn**

* * *

"Hey. Ready to go?" The familiar voice rattled against my eardrum and permeated my brain leaving me with a small sense of vertigo as I attempted to make my way to his Volvo.

Once I regained my composure I gave an enthusiastic yes in reply and slid on a patch of ice falling butt first and hit the corner of the final step down my front walkway. Pain radiated all the way down to my thighs and up my back immediately notifying my tear ducts that I was in severe discomfort. Pools collected on my bottom lids and I fought hard to keep them from spilling on to my cheeks in front of Edward, who had run to my rescue and was now helping me up. Sadly, a single tear slipped out and trickled down my cheek and Edward grabbed either side of my face and looked in my eyes to assess the amount of pain I was in.

"Are you okay?" The truth is I was fine. I had taken enough falls to know how to take the pain, it's just that sometimes my eyes don't cooperate with my state of mind and decide to cry according to the situation. But he looked so concerned and his hands were warm against my face, softly rubbing away the liquid that had escaped my best efforts, and I didn't want it to stop. So I decided to keep him worried and the first thing that came to mind was to say:

"My butt hurts."

Epic.

Fail.

It's an overused phrase… but seriously, nothing else could so accurately describe that moment. Because right after I said that Edward burst into a fit of laughter and had to take a seat on the frozen concrete in an attempt (a failed attempt) to control his little explosion. When he had regained composure he stood up clutching his sore abdomen. "What's so funny?" I tried to frown as noticeably as possible.

"Nothing. It's just when you…" Relapse. "You were so serious." Re-relapse. "I'm sorry."

"Let's just go." I stomped to the car and slammed the door behind me as loud as possible.

The car was filled with silence, save the few chuckles that escaped Edward's lips as he drove. I must admit though, that he had reduced his speed significantly, and it was almost enjoyable. I slipped in and out of daydreams similar to the content of my dream last night. I would stare at a part of his body that caught my eye and become consumed with explicit thoughts about it. It was quite frightening actually. I hadn't ever had dreams about Jake this way… sure I had them about Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, but never someone so real to me. At one point I was blushing so ferociously that Edward cut down the heat thinking I was getting too warm, which I was, in certain places.

……………………………………………………………………………….

"So…" _Thank God he is talking!_ "Jasper told me about yesterday afternoon." _Goddamn it! Jasper is a fucking cunt-punter if he told Edward we kissed. No one wants second hand brother it's a total turn off._

"What about yesterday afternoon?"

"Just about where you two stand." _What? Where do we stand?_ "You know… you guys are friends. I totally thought you two were a thing."

"He's not really my type." He snapped his head away from the road to look at me. His eyes were full of curiosity and possibly hope… I wasn't sure because generally I'm not so perceptive when it comes to men.

"What is your type?" His eyes flitted back to the road and he kept a firm watch as he waited for his answer. I wasn't sure whether he would get one or not. I had never really thought about my type… but if I could pick a type off of the top of my head I would say a guy who is just north of six feet, had silky bronze hair that just begs to be touched, boasted a crooked smile that sent pools of desire flooding from my core, and two emerald eyes that caused me to wake up in a cold sweat. I wished I could just get up the nerve to say Edward Cullen was my type… but I just couldn't. What if he didn't like me? He might even laugh and think I was joking.

"You know… the kind with the hair and those eyes and the arms that grab things…"

"Well… I hate to tell you… but you are just plain out of luck. Hair, eyes, and arms… Good luck finding such a well endowed man."

"Haha… you're funny."

"Yeah… I'd be sarcastic too if I had just fallen on my ass right in front of the house." He returned to the fit of laughter stage.

"I thought we were done with this."

"We were but it's just so fucking funny!" I was mad at first that he kept bringing up but then I realized that this was the most vocal and relaxed he has been around me… ever. It was nice to be around him when he wasn't so tightly wound.

……………………………………………………………………………

The day went according to plan. I shopped. Edward shopped. We bought stuff.

Separately.

I mean, he parked the car and was all, "Okay… I'll meet you back here at like 6:30." So I went to the best thrift store (information courtesy of a Gap worker), a cool record store I happened upon, then I hit up a movie store, grabbed some essentials at a Whole Foods and headed back to the car. Edward wasn't back yet so I sat on the hood of the car… and sat… and sat… and finally checked my phone to see that it was only 5:45. And I was sad.

"Well… hello there." A voice whispered against my ear… it was familiar but I couldn't place it and before I could turn my head to see my eyes were covered by a large pair of forceful hands. "Oh, Bella, don't tell me you don't remember? I told you I would be back." Fear tore through my body and I knew I needed to somehow find Edward before James raped me or whatever he had up his sleeve. "Really I'm hurt. Am I not memorable enough for you?" I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and blindly made my way to the contact list and typed in Edward on the keypad trying to be as subtle as possible so James wouldn't catch me. "Or do I have to be a Cullen to catch your particular eye." I hit the send button hoping to God that I had the right number, and held my phone open so that whoever was on the line could hear what was going on. "I don't know if I ever told you, but I'm a very good pretender. How's about I just keep my hands over your eyes and you can picture your precious little Cullen is fucking you."

I struggled as he pulled me towards his chest with one arm, leaving a hand on my face to cover my eyes. A few minutes later I was somewhere dark, probably an alley of some sort and James dropped me.

"Now be a good little girl and I won't hurt you too bad." He removed his shirt and tied it around my face, but not before I could gather my bearing and see where I was… I looked around me and glanced down at me phone to see if I had called Edward. I had, but I couldn't be sure if I was leaving a message or if he was on the line so I slowly held the phone up to my ear.

"Bella?" He huffed and panted and it sounded like he was running. "Bella? Answer me!"

I heard James chuckle. "Bella, Bella, Bella, now what do you think you're doing?" He snatched the phone out of my hand and spoke. "Now who might I be talking to?" I could hear Edward yelling as James knelt close; the heat from his breath crawling across my face. "Edward Cullen. How are you this fine evening?" More angry babble flooded from the receiver. "Well those aren't very nice things to say. I'm not sure I can hand over innocent little Bella Swan to someone with such a potty mouth. Don't you agree?" Edward spoke quietly and James laughed out loud. "Edward, you can trust me. I will get her home more or less safely… after." I distinctly heard a large 'After what?' boom from the cell phone. "Now Mr. Cullen, you don't share your sexual life with me and I don't share mine with you." At the word sexually something in my mind clicked. I filed my brain for everything Charlie had taught me in self defense and quickly began screaming what I had seen before James blinded me.

"Edward! Not far from your car! Alley! Two dumpsters! Grey brick building! Red brick building! Regions—" A sound like a gunshot filled my ears and the pain from my cheek followed. My jaw hung uselessly and I screamed out in pain. The bastard had slapped me clean across the face. "What the FUCK?" I began swatting at the air trying to make contact with any part of his body until he grabbed my wrists and twisted them away holding them against the wall above my head.

"Don't you know anything, Bella?" His lips ran across my face and parted as they traveled over my eyes and nose. "Bad girls get punished. Now shut up." I heard him flip the phone closed and his lips returned to my face, kissing the area he had slapped and burning my tender skin with the contact. I squealed and he growled like an animal. Apparently pain set him off and I was in for a long ride unless Edward got to me. James grabbed my jaw firmly and kissed me hard on the mouth and bit my lower lip, not in a cute way but in a painful way. I moaned against his lips and grabbed my hair causing me to scream in pain. He took that as an opportunity and jammed his tongue down my throat, causing me to gag and turn my face away.

Once I had a free moment I screamed at him. "What the hell are you doing?" He lifted me a little and then slammed me against the wall behind me. There must have been a large nail or something jutting out because it felt like something punctured my back in between my shoulder blades and I wailed full force wriggling like a drying fish. I could feel him getting closer and I whispered, "Please." He halted for a moment and then came at me once more biting my chin and sucking my lips. I felt his hands travel up the back of my shirt tearing it from my body and ripping off my bra as I began punching and slapping with my newly freed hands. He started kneading my breasts and biting the tiny peaks that had hardened in response to the cold air. My body deceived me as my panties began to dampen in response to his actions and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I became limp and burst into tears hoping he would find some sympathy in his heart and stop. I whimpered a bit to seal the deal and soon enough he threw me to the ground like a used piece of trash.

"You had to go and ruin it. Stupid bitch." I heard him stand up and tug at his pants. He removed the shirt from my eyes and pulled it back over his chest and gave me a good kick in the abdomen before he left me in the alley.

I'm not sure how much time passed before Edward came running by, nearly missing me because I was huddled in the dark.

"Bella!" He ran towards me and did that thing the guys always do in movies, like they don't know where to touch you or what to do. So I turned onto my back to give him better access to help me up. A tomato red blush ran over his face and he gently helped me stand up and guided my shoulders around his neck and I clung to him, burying my face in that safe space between his neck and collar bone. "Let's get you to the car." He tried to lift my legs but I shook my head and backed away.

"I can walk." Then I saw my shirt on the ground and looked back up at Edward whose eyes were so blatantly staring at my bare chest. I quickly shielded the naked area and slumped back down to the ground completely embarrassed. "Oh my God." I picked up my shirt with a free hand and assessed the damage. It was wet and grimy and ripped in a few places and I desperately tried to get it back on but Edward snatched it from my hands and threw it back on the ground. He grabbed me from my ass and hoisted me up so that my legs were wrapped around his waist. I caught on to the idea and wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself against him to shield my chest from innocent bystanders.

He carried me back to the car that way and they sat me in the backseat of his Volvo and handed me a random sweater out of one of my shopping bags he had found by the hood of the car where I was kidnapped. Once I was clothed he rested his surprisingly cool hand against the hot spot on my cheek where James had slapped me.

"It's probably going to bruise." He said as his gentle thumb drew circles across the skin erasing the pain. "Now what happened? Did he rape you?" I looked into his eyes and saw all of the hurt and concern and tears moistened my eyes once more.

I whispered a brief, "No," and leaned forward until my forehead met his chest and covered my face with my hands. He gently smoothed his hands up and down my back and rested his chin on my head and rocked back and forth gently.

We sat like that for a few minutes until my stomach began to make these horrible gurgling noises in protest of the lack of food. I hadn't really eaten since last night due to the extreme nervousness I felt thinking about today and Edward.

"Why don't we go get something to eat and then we can go see the police about this."

"Oh, we don't have to do that. I just got a little bruised up, nothing to worry the police about. Plus, this is a big city… they are too busy with homicides and actual rapes to deal with something as stupid as getting shaken up by an acquaintance." Something as rash as going to the police just made it seem more real to me. Like, if I kept this whole thing a secret it would be like it had never happened.

"We'll talk about this after we eat." He started the car and drove a few blocks down until we were parked in front of a quaint little Italian restaurant with little Chianti bottles hanging from the ceilings with fake grapes and ivy spilling from the spout. I loved it there because it wasn't a restaurant trying to be something else… like those other Italian places where everything is modern and white with wave patterns and the portions were the size of my palm… it knew what it was and it was okay with that.

The hostess seated us fairly quickly and it took no time for an unfortunate looking punk chick to sprint to the table to take out drink orders; well, sort of. I said I wanted a Diet Coke five times and all she could do was nod and eye rape Edward. Then when she returned she gave me water and gave Edward the Ice Tea he had ordered. So, when she took our food orders I made sure Edward clarified what I wanted and she stood for a moment before she left batting her eyes and sticking her mutant sized breasts practically in his face. Then sped off when she realized he wasn't at liberty to motorboat her tits.

"What is that?" I asked him in regards to his ability to melt girls vaginas with one look.

"What is what?" He squeezed his lemon into the tea.

"What you just did to the waitress." He shrugged and poured a packed of 'Sugar in the Raw' into his glass. "That dazzling thing you just did. It was like her brain combusted."

He laughed a little and then looked me straight in the eye, which was always a shock. It was like his eyes became greener every time I saw them. "I don't know what you are talking about." A few moments of silence passed and he spoke again. "You know, how can I answer your questions if you won't answer mine?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never told me what your type was." Yes I did.

"Yes I did."

"Not really. Now either you give me some answers or you are going to be a very ill informed girl." He smiled that simple little crooked smile and my stomach set on fire. I was about to give him an answer but I chickened out and the food came. Soon Edward asked for the check and we headed back to the car to prepare for a long ride home.

………………………………………………………….

About halfway through the ride home we were sitting listening to some overplayed John Mayer song and I took that opportunity to give him my reply.

"I like tall guys, because I'm on the short side." It was a good answer that was vague enough, yet specific enough. "What about you?" I asked expecting just as vague of an answer.

"I like fair skinned brunettes who are clumsy, on the short side, and completely adorable." I could have cried I was so happy. I just sat and stared at him letting him dazzle me and make me fall even harder than I already had.

"Damn… I had you till the last attribute." I was joking, but he turned to me with one of those hard, serious looks plastered across his face.

"You have no idea how intoxicating you are, do you?" He leaned over and switched the song to some sort of indie rock I had never heard before… then again I hadn't heard lots of songs before. I don't pride myself in my musical abilities. I listen to the basics and hope for the best.

………………………………………………………………

He parked outside my house and I was surprised to see Charlie's cruiser was missing. Then I recalled that he was taking the night shift tonight due to some kind of animal that had settled into the area and killed someone. I would have the house to myself tonight. Then the fear set in. I saw James face in every window as I looked up at my home. He knew where I lived and if he saw that Charlie wasn't home he would take that as an opportunity to strike again.

"Edward." I grabbed his arm as he helped me out of the Volvo. "Charlie won't be back tonight."

"Umm… Bella… I'm not really sure…" Wrong topic. I wish it was the right one, but not tonight.

"No… I'm scared." He wrapped his arm around me and I winced as the wound in my back radiated a bit.

"Come on." We went inside and up to my room.

I left him sitting on my bed and took a shower, careful to clean out all of the cuts and scrapes I had. Then I returned in some old soffees and a beat up Seahawks T-shirt Charlie had given me for Christmas when I was little. It was a bit snug now… but I was sure Edward wouldn't have a problem with that. Oh, hell, I was asking to be fucked. I needed to be fucked. After the afternoon I had I deserved to be fucked. When I went back to my room Edward had found the first aid kit and was searching through it. When he looked up his eyes widened a bit, but he looked away before I could even lick my lips in a seductive manner.

"Hey… I should probably help you with your scrapes and stuff." I walked over to the bed and let him rub hydrogen peroxide on my hands and wrists where they had scraped against the brick. I hissed as he glided over the wounds and he blew on them to try and take some of the pain away. My breath hitched audibly and he looked up at me.

"That kinda kills." I laughed trying to take away some of the sexual tension in the room.

"I think I can help you out there." He took a silver flask out of his back pocket and unscrewed the top, handing it over to me. Now, I had had alcohol many times before; I'd even been a little tipsy before so I knew my limits. So, I grabbed the flask from his hand and took a big swig and chocked back the bitter liquid.

"What is that?" I gasped trying to steady my breath.

"Whiskey." He smirked and took a swig himself, wincing only slightly afterwards. The stuff must have been pretty strong because I was already feeling a little warm and delicious in my stomach. I took a couple more swigs and Edward did the same. Every time the liquid tasted better and by the time I couldn't taste it at all I knew I was drunk. I laid back on the pillows for a moment and pain shot across my spine and I sat back up. "What's wrong?" Edward slurred slightly but I could tell he wasn't as bad off as I was.

"My back." I giggled and then turned over when Edward motioned me to. He lifted my shirt up in the back and ran his hand across the tender skin.

"Holy shit! It looks like someone shot you or something."

"What!" I wailed and he laughed a little bit.

"I'm just kidding. It looks like you backed into a nail." I remembered vaguely when James shoved me against the brick wall and I felt it hit me. "Take you shirt off."

"Listen mister!" I waved a finger in his face and continued. "Just because I'm a little drunk doesn't mean I'm that kind of girl!" He laughed and took a long drink from the flask and offered it to me. I waved it away responsibly.

"I mean so I can clean it. Come on, what kind of guy do you think I am?"

"Well you already told me I'm your type… So… I'm skeptical."

"True… you are. And I'm freakishly tall so I'm your type."

"Yes." I don't know what came over me but I took off my shirt and sat there in all of my glory… staring at him. "So?"

"Lay on your stomach." He started rubbing hydrogen peroxide and I swear even through my drunken fog it felt like a razor tearing at my skin. I whimpered a bit and he did the think where he blew cool air against it and the whimper turned into an otherworldly moan. We both stopped breathing and stayed still. Then he took some gauze and taped it across the affected area and I put my shirt back on as quickly as possible. He took another swig and I again declined.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That noise."

"You shouldn't be sorry… it was really hot." He gave a goofy laugh and I realized he was in the same boat as me. Drunk.

After coming to that realization I took one of his hands and rubbed it against my good cheek. His fingers found my mouth and grazed my teeth and I parted them and licked his finger tips. He quickly brought his hand back and stared at me.

"Don't."

"Why?" I whined. I had been chronically horny for over a week and it was high time I had my V-card swiped.

"I can't."

"Yes you can! It's easy! I've seen it on TV all the time. Just kiss me." I could see him slowly caving as his body approached mine. He stopped just a half of an inch away from my lips and I tried to meet him halfway but he backed off. Steadying himself with my shoulders he leaned forward once more and our foreheads touched; then our noses; and finally our lips met softly, just barely pulsing against each other. That's all it took and I was done. His lips were airy and soft and tasted musky from the whiskey and slightly orange from an unknown source, and it was delicious. Before I knew it we were attacking in some sort of primal foreplay biting and sucking. I must say I enjoyed the sucking much better when my life wasn't in danger. I raked my nails across his back as he bit the tender flesh behind my ear and I knew that I had to have soaked through to my shorts by now. I grazed the heated area across his thigh as we sat up on our knees and he suddenly threw me back onto the pillows grabbing my legs and wrapping them around his waist so I could feel his hardness against my aching core. He slid the shorts down my legs and threw them aside and pressed against me once more sending me into sudden convulsions of pleasure. My hips were bucking as he unbuttoned his pants and clumsily pulled them off. The only barrier left was our underwear and I couldn't wait much longer. He spread out on top of me and slammed his lips against my mouth almost ferociously and kissed up and down my neck like James had only hours before and suddenly he hit the tender spot on my cheek. I screamed out of shock and he jumped off of the bed and quickly put his pants back on.

"It's fine. It just scared me a little bit." I tried to coax him back but he just turned away and headed for the door. I couldn't let him go, even if we weren't going to go any further. I still wanted him near me. Now that I had him I couldn't be without him. "Don't leave."

"Bella, I can't. I hurt you." He turned and reached for the door once more and I leapt up and threw my arms around him.

"I promise… no more. But please don't leave." He turned and led me bed, pulled back the covers and tucked me in. Then he grabbed up his shirt and put it back on and went to sit in the rocking chair in the other corner of my room. I tried to sleep for a while, but I could feel his presence and the fact that it was out of reach was killing me. I turned over to look and him and was surprised to see him staring at me.

"I have a confession to make." He smiled a little glanced up at me through drowsy eyes. "This rocking chair is really uncomfortable." I giggled a little and lifted up the comforter to let him in.

He timidly crawled in and settled down completely flat backed staring up at the ceiling. At first I thought he was just nervous and didn't want to take up any of my room, but he never moved and his eyes began to flutter closed. So, I settled in myself, but I still wasn't close enough. The heat from his body teased me under the sheets and I finally left my better judgment and settled my head onto his chest and let his racing heartbeat lull me to sleep.

…………………………………………………………………..

He was laying over me, tearing apart my silken nightgown as he growled into the perfect waves of my chocolate brown hair. Once I was bare he separated my legs and plunged deep and hard into my seeping wetness. Every time he shoved his hard cock into me I felt whole and begged for more, moaning his name as he satisfied my every need. I tore into the skin of his back and he let out a animalistic growl and leaned over to bite into my hardened breasts and licked back up to my ear and whispered in a gravely voice that reeked of sex, "Come with me." I let out a long, loud moan, shutting my eyes tightly, as he yelled out a few drawn out 'Fuck's and I rode out my orgasm as his sweet nectar filled my core.

"Bella?" I opened my eyes and saw the reality Edward above me shaking me awake.

"What? What time is it?" I looked at the clock and saw that I had only been asleep for about twenty minutes.

"You were like… screaming or something." Shit! He had heard me dreaming about him. My face mutated and blush filled every crevice, heating the spots where it traveled. My mind reeled. What would he think of me? Did he know what kind of dream it was? I couldn't tell by the look on his face. He was just looking at me with some kind of odd doe eyes and I couldn't read the expression.

"Well, I've always talked in my sleep, so it's no big deal." His face flushed a little as I turned over and buried my embarassed face into the crook of his shoulder and I could only imagine that he knew exactly what was going on.

"Goodnight." He whispered in my ear and I replied a muffled 'night' from the folds of his shirt.

.............................................................................

At around 6:30 my alarm went off and I woke up stiff and achy. I looked over to see that Edward had left... probably through the window which was now ajar and another branch lay at the base of its trunk.

I walked to the shower as per usual and took one look in the mirror and burst into tears. The entirety of my left cheek was covered with a gruesome bright red and slightly purple bruise in the loose form of a hand. If I was any normal girl I could slap some foundation on it and call it a day... but stupid ass Bella Swan only wears mascara and some eyeshadow of the off day that I go somewhere nice. I did find some light powder and it helped distort the shape a little bit, but not much, it was still very nocticeable that I had been hit.

I would most likely see James lurking at school.

He would get satisfaction that I was marked.

He would come again.

* * *

**Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnn. Not really. But seriously... how would you feel if you had to go to school with a large slap mark across your face?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. If I did it would not be sold in the same vicinity as Vampire Kisses... horrible

* * *

I couldn't help but imagine that this paralleled the "walk of shame" hangover entrance. Only this time it was only my dad I was shaming myself in front of, and it was a large slap mark on my face instead of hickeys and last nights outfit. I walked in quickly and turned my good cheek towards Charlie as I made my usual bowl of cereal.

"Sleep okay, Bells?"

I readied myself to reply, calming my nerves in an attempt to shield any questionable inflections. "Yeah!" Too bad my inflections were all eliminated and I shouted it.

"What's wrong with you?" I heard him put down his paper and shift his position to face me. I stood my ground, eating my cereal at the counter. "Look at me." He knew. He had to know.

"You're gonna' be so mad."

"Bella? You went to Seattle with Edward yesterday?" I didn't respond, deciding that the question was most likely rhetorical and he probably wasn't finished. "I'm not so old that I don't know what that's code for." Wait. What? "So you got a hickey. You're not the first and you won't be the last. But if that Edward shows up here I might be entitled to pull out the shotgun."

What the hell was he talking about? I turned to face him so I could correct him and save Edward's life, but I forgot about my face.

I swear he went from ghost white to crimson in a matter of seconds, no, milliseconds.

"It's not what you think!" I shouted as he rose from his seat and ran over. He touched the spot and I winced… which didn't help my cause much.

Charlie looked down at his watch and let out a stiff Damn before turning his attention back towards me. "We'll talk when I get home," were the only words he uttered before grabbing his jacket and stomping out of the house. I watched through the window expecting some grand gesture of anger, but he simply got in his cruiser and peeled out of the driveway.

All I could think past that point was, Thank God it is Sunday. I still had the whole day to decipher Charlie's reaction and also to find some decent foundation to cover up the war zone that had become the left side of my face; Ground Zero if you will.

My phone began buzzing in my sweatshirt's kangaroo pouch and I pulled it out and studied the screen staring back at me.

Angela.

I was a little disappointed.

"Hello?"

"Bella? Hey! It's me, Angela!"

"Hey. What's up? How was the dance?"

"It was great." She sounded like she was trying to ask me something, but wasn't sure how to approach it.

"Anything else?" I coaxed.

"Okay, I want to hear all about Saturday. What's he like? Is he cool? Are you guys dating?" Too many questions spilled out at once and I honestly couldn't handle the third degree, what with my facial distortion.

"How about I tell you all about it at school tomorrow? I'm feeling a little under the weather and I have to go by the doctor soon." Partially true. I was most likely going to end up seeing the doctor.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay!" Overreaction. I quickly decided not to tell her anything about James or that portion of the trip to Seattle. I would just stick with car ride and dinner and hanging out at my house.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just need some prescriptions."

"Okay. Well, see you Monday! Can't wait to hear all about Seattle!" Usually I tolerated her bubbliness, because I really genuinely appreciated it, but now was one of those times when I needed a grim person. Someone who would listen to my story and be like, 'Yep, you're life pretty much sucks.' All I wanted was for someone to humor me for a little while, and I knew Angela couldn't do that.

Just as I was about to put my phone away it started buzzing once again.

Edward.

"Hey." I greeted. I could feel the awkward tension radiating through the phone receiver.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" His voice was deep and husky and delicious. It almost made me feel a bit less disfigured.

"Fine, if you don't count the huge bruise I have on my face." His breath caught.

"I'm coming." He hung up before I could respond.

I figured I didn't have more that a few minutes before he would pull up, so I sprinted up the stairs and put my quick change skills to the test.

…………………………………………………………………..

"I'm going to kill him." Edward's breath had become uneven since he laid eyes on my left cheek. He acted a bit like Charlie, but I think his face turned red a bit sooner. His youth probably gave him the upper hand in the competition.

"No you're not. It's not like it hurts or anything." He touched it lightly and a sharp little feeling shocked me.

"Oh my God."

"Well, you shouldn't have touched it. That's the only time it hurts!"

"But it hurts nonetheless."

"It only hurts when it's touched. I don't think I'm going to sit around and tap on my bruise all day." He frowned at my sarcasm and ran his fingers through his hair. Then his head just hit the table as he let out a large sigh. I had a feeling that the sigh wasn't just about my face.

"Is there something else bothering you?"

"First my sister chews me out this morning, then your face, it's just a little much for one day."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah, Alice. She and Rosalie came back from Alaska yesterday and I was out. She was a bit ticked off." He laughed a little bit, no doubt envisioning his perfect sister and scoffing at how meek I was in comparison. "So, do you want to meet her?"

"Who?"

"Alice. I told her all about you." Hopefully good things. "She wasn't too fond about the kissing Jasper thing," I immediately blushed, "but then I told her about you, and she's really eager to see the face behind the name."

"Well, I'd like to see her sometime too." Preferably when I have a bit less blue on my face.

Edward stared at me for a moment with a new attitude. He sort of gazed and looked a bit entranced. I was blushing like mad the whole time, but still proud that little old me could evoke such a visage.

"Let's go." He grabbed my hand and we flew out the door. He opened my door for me and waited for me to buckle up.

"Umm, I think I should really run by the drugstore and buy something to cover this up." I pointed towards my face bruise. "I don't want the first thing your sister sees to be my battle wound.

"Oh, it'll be fine. She already knows anyway. She probably has something you can use." He told her about my being nearly raped/ abused. I was a bit angry that I hadn't blabbed to Angela just to spite him.

………………………………………………………………….

Edward's house was amazing. It was up a long windy road and looked like a cross between the house in Sleeping with the Enemy and the one in When a Stranger Calls. And if the outside was beautiful the inside was magnificent, full of art deco sculptures and paintings and little knick-nacks that Edward said were picked up during the families travels around the world. I was particularly impressed with a large wooden cross that looked like it was straight out of The Canterbury Tales. Edward said that it had been passed down through the Cullen family since possibly before the Middle Ages. Amazing.

Alice was totally different than I had expected. She was a real pixie. I thought they didn't exist, but they sure do. She was about my height, but only because she was wearing some fairly tall heels, otherwise I would probably have about two inches on her. Not only was she short, she was tiny, like, the circumference of my wrist. Maybe not that small, but still.

"Come this way!" She danced in front of me through some large French doors into a forest of blues and crystals. The room was straight out of a Bergdorf's bedding booklet except it was more stylish and most likely twice as expensive. She led me past the silk comforter and glass chandelier to another set of French doors with frosted glass. When she opened them I was awestruck. I had been thrown into a second room, larger than the first; that was wall to wall clothing with a shoe store in the center of the room and a complete MAC, Bobbie Brown, Clinique, Armani makeup counter on the back wall. It really made me sad that I didn't appreciate material things more.

Alice called my name and I turned to see her standing in front of a mess of purple fabrics, pulling out a shirt that was moonlighting as a dress.

"Oh my gosh, this would look fabulous on you." She held it up to me and squealed then made a beeline for shoe city and pulled out some of the tallest heels I had ever seen. "You are so getting a makeover!" She stared at me with her glassy little eyes and rose colored outlook, not even realizing that I would never in the history of the world ever wear anything that potentially painful.

"I don't really wear heels. They would probably kill me." I replied shyly. She immediately jerked her head towards me with a stern pout on her face.

"Bella, I understand you don't have any makeup that can cover that." She pointed towards my cheek and I covered it with a hand and nodded. "Then how about we do a little makeover?" She was good. In any other case I would have been a little ticked off, but something told me that she genuinely just wanted to help me out. There's no way a girl with that much stuff could realize that some people just have no style whatsoever.

It took about an hour of plucking, painting, and hot ironing for the process to be done. The whole time Alice was telling me little anecdotes about Edward when he was little and all of his other secrets. I learned important things also. Edward liked England more than any other place in the world, had a crazy ex-girlfriend named Tanya that was a really close family friend, and that his favorite thing to do was play the piano, he even composed his own music. So, ultimately the makeover wasn't as bad as I had expected.

Then I started trying on clothes. I sat there and tried on pair after pair with dress after dress, and every time I thought I was done Alice would reappear with her arms filled with more choices. It was taking hours; and before I knew it 7:00 rolled around and.

We finally ended with the purple shirt dress that was the first thing I tried on, and then the horror began. I had to deal with the pair of shoes Alice was dead set on me wearing. I shoved my foot into one of the tall black "Fendi"s, as she called them, and felt a little shaky, but not bad. Then I slipped my foot into the second one, initially I was fine, then I tried to take a step and immediately toppled over; landing on my already sore butt. As I writhed on the floor Alice burst out laughing and I couldn't help but join her. It was kind of amazing, I had never really had a real "girl friend," before I moved here and now I had Angela and possibly Alice. She was easy to hand out with. Other than our fashion sense we liked some of the same things. We loved period romance novels (Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, etc.), and we liked the same music… well we both liked all music; except rap, old-school rap is fine, but all the current stuff is a little off-putting.

"Okay… why don't we try these?" She held up a pair of black flats and I welcomed them with open arms.

"So, Alice, where am I going in this outfit?"

"Oh, I was thinking a discothèque in Paris and then grab a late dinner in Barcelona." She threw a scarf over her own creative outfit and posed with some Breakfast at Tiffany sunglasses thrown in for good measure.

"Perfect." I mused. "I've been dying for some authentic Sangria and Tapas."

"Well, let's head downstairs." I looked at myself in the mirror and finally recognized how ridiculous I looked. I seemed to be trying to hard. So, I reached for my old clothes and headed for the little dressing area.

"Kay, right behind you. I'm just gonna put my clothes on really quick." Alice ran behind the little pink screen and tore the hoodie and jeans out of my hands and threw them in a trash bin by the door. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you. Now let's go downstairs." I couldn't argue with her. So I simply followed her downstairs where we met Edward. His jaw dropped considerably when he saw me and I immediately felt my face flush, and with the amount of blush I had pasted on my face it was probably a pretty fierce shade of red. I was about to stay and talk, but Alice kept yanking on my arm and pulling me through more rooms and more staircases and finally we were in what in any other house would be the basement. In this house it was a room decked out with glass tiled walls and marble, wet bars, a little stage towards the front and a large amount of colorful lighting and shiny silver disco balls and those little crystal string curtain thingies (whatever those are called).

Half of our school and a good many people I didn't recognize at all were gathered on the dance floor, drank at the wet bar, or ate at a small sitting area towards the back where we had just entered.

"What in the world is this?" There was dancing, so much dancing. I would have to wait out the process by the bar or near the food.

Edward leaned over to talk in my ear so I could hear over the loud music and chatter. "It's my mom's birthday. She grew up here and she has a large following. So, our parties are usually large. Alice and I thought you might enjoy it since you missed winter formal." He smiled and offered me his hand. "Let's dance."

"Oh, umm, how about we eat first." I grabbed my stomach as if it were growling. "I'm starved."

Edward led me over to a buffet filled with foods from around the world, and low and behold, there was Tapas. I got a heaping plate of it and added in some apple streudal for dessert. Done. I was in heaven. Alice even forced a few lemony shots down my gullet and it was time to hit the dance floor.

"Ow!" Edward hissed as I stepped on his foot for the fifth time. I was horrible at dancing. I had warned him. He had also witnessed me nailing people around me in every body part imaginable with my flailing arms and awkward stance. So I felt no shame. He knew what he had gotten himself into.

The music slowed and Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and I draped my arms over his shoulders.

"Shit."

"Did I step on them again! Sorry." I gave him a sad little smile and he lifted me up so that I was standing on his feet. Then he just danced, and I rested my head on his chest and let his heart beat meld together with the beat of the music.

…………………………………………………………………..

I woke up the next morning in a bed. I wasn't completely sure where I was, and I was ready to sit up and look around when I heard a strange sound. I could sense a male presence in the room and heard grunting and hissing along with the slight smell of sweat, and it dawned on me that Edward must be in the room… masturbating. I was caught between being severely weirded out, but I knew for sure if I sat up in horror and stopped him it would be really awkward between us from this day forward. So I decided to let him have his 'me time' without knowing that I was secretly listening. I know it was sort of an invasion of privacy, but… who am I kidding, I was curious.

A few minutes later the door opened, and I was immediately wincing for Edward. He would be caught.

"Hey Em." _That was Emmett?_ I had never in my life been more thankful that I didn't get out of bed. "Is she awake yet?" I heard something hit the ground and Emmett coughed slightly in response. "What the fuck!"

"What?" I heard the soft sound of hand and arm motions and Emmett spoke up, whispering loudly once again. "She was fucking moaning, Edward. I couldn't help it!" I could detect a level of sass in his tone and it took everything in my body not to bust out laughing because I desperately wanted to see where this conversation was going. "Okay, in case you hadn't noticed… She's fucking hot. And I'm only one man. There's only so much I can handle and I swear… my dick was the size of Montana. I'm not fucking around here. I had Montana dick!" He was jacking off while I was sleeping. In any other situation I would be horrified, but seeing as how I watch too many movies all I could see was some sort of Seth Rogan film and I had to shove my face into a pillow to muffle the tiny laughs that escaped all of my best efforts.

Edward gave an exaggerated sigh and I could practically see him pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes in frustration. "Why are you in here anyway?" The thought had never crossed my mind before now and before I knew it I had sat straight up and agreed with him.

"Yeah!" I pointed an accusing finger at Emmett who was still struggling with his pants. They both stared at me in disbelief and Emmett turned a bright shade of red that I didn't know he was capable of. My face flushed when I met his eyes and his jaw dropped in response.

"You PERVERT! Edward, you're girlfriend is a pervert." He buckled his belt and picked up an Eagles CD off of the chair in the corner of the room and turned towards the door, waving it in Edward's face before the slammed the door behind him. Girlfriend? The sound of the word sent tremors down my spine. Edward Cullen's girlfriend; I had a new goal.

Once he was gone heaviness filled the air and Edward glared at me as he knelt to the floor to pick up the plastic cup that he had dropped onto the floor. He held a platter in the other hand with various kinds of fruits and muffins with a carton of orange juice and a second cup tucked between his arm and his torso. He silently stood once again and set all of the items on his old record player on the opposite wall of the bed.

After pouring both of us a glass, he spiked his orange juice with his flask, and I sat silently sipping on the end of the bed as swallowed deeply before turning his attention back to me.

"Bella?" He wanted an explanation. I was sure he had realized that I had pictured him grunting in the corner.

"I thought it was you." I flushed all the way down to my toes and brought the cup back up to my mouth; tilting it so that it shielded my eyes from his judgmental gaze.

I felt him approach me and he placed his palms on my shoulders and tilted the cup back down with his chin, laying a soft kiss on my lips when he reached them. When he was done he rested his forehead against mine; an action that was very quickly becoming his trademark. He reached for the cup and took it out of my hands and placed it on the floor as I wrapped my arms around his neck. We kissed softly for a few seconds and then gradually grew deeper and more intense until I had to back away and stop it.

"I have to get home soon or Charlie will notice." He pouted a little bit and I pecked him on the cheek before hopping off of the bed, thumping over the glass of orange juice all over the carpet. "Shit!" Stain."Get some club soda." He ran out of the room. I raced into his bathroom and snagged a small hand towel. It was probably very expensive and Egyptian cotton but I was working in a race against time. Edward huffed back into the room with a small bottle of Canadian Dry and I snatched it away pouring it directly on the spot. I wasn't sure whether or not that was right. Maybe I was supposed to pour it on the towel, but I didn't care at this point.

I slowly blotted the carpet with the towel and the spot began to fade and I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

"How did you know to do that?"

"I grew up with a flakey mom. I know all the tricks of the trade." Renee never did housework; or any work for that matter. Our house was like that movie Freaky Friday, I was always acting the mother and she was the free-wheelin' daughter. All my friends back home usually liked my mom better than they liked me; because she was generally less high strung and more fun to hand out with. This is probably why my self-esteem is pretty much shot.

"You should have seen yourself. You, like, switched into mother mode." A faint buzzing noise sounded from somewhere in the room. "I think that's your cell phone." I ran over to my purse and pulled out my phone only to find that Charlie was calling me.

I timidly opened it and braced myself. "Hey Dad."

"Where the HELL are you? Did you even come home last night?"

"No, but I'm spending the night with Alice Cullen."

"Alice CULLEN. The one who lives with Edward CULLEN! Yeah, right. You get home right now and we will discuss what to do."

"Dad… I promise. You can call the Cullens. I didn't even see Edward the whole time. Alice was giving me a makeover." Lies. "And Dr. Cullen took a look at my face."

"We will talk when you get home. Now, tell the Cullen's thanks for their efforts, but I don't want you hanging around that boy anymore." Crap. He still thought Edward had slapped me.

"Why? Oh, my face! I must have done it in my sleep, because Edward would never—"

"Get home. NOW!" He hung up. At least I tried.

I looked up apologetically at Edward and grabbed my things and left. Returning to a very frustrated father holding the phone with an all too familiar frenzy of cursing coming from the receiver of the phone he held in his hands.

Renee.

* * *

**K, this is pretty much my least favorite of the chapters I have written. I just needed some filler and I liked the Emmett anecdote. I promise it will get better. Hang in there… probably like five chapters left at the most!!!**

**Hello lovas! Just wanted to remind you cool kids that the IndieTwiFic nominations begin TODAY! Now I know you would love nothing more than to have me all to yourselves, but I think it's time to share the wealth.**

**So when you get a chance, head on over to www(dot)theindietwificawards(dot)com and nominate me and all those other Idie Fics you love!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

**Sorry for the lengthy dry spell, kiddies! But I'm back in action.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and in..bathrobe owns Res. Shine; however, I own the worst taste in music in the history of forever. It's true.**

* * *

The lengthy Q and A, courtesy of Charlie and Renee, left me mentally exhausted. Not only had I answered 50 billion questions, I had been subject to 50 billion insults to my character in return. I was deemed:

too weak

too clumsy

too unaware

too guarded

too trusting

too flirtatious

too sheltered

too exposed

too readable

too cryptic

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc.

Now, I'm no genius, but I'm pretty sure that half of that list was one big contradiction.

"So, how did it go?" Edward asked as he crawled through my open window. It was just past three and I welcomed any company that did not include my father's presence and my mother's voice.

"Horrible. I'm banned from sleepovers at the Cullen house." I shoved my face into the pillow I had pressed into my chest by my knees. He crept over and crawled towards me, laying down beside my disheveled self.

"Well, I guess 'Alice' will have to come over here instead." He laughed a little and threw an arm around my shoulders.

"I had to tell them." I broke out on a serious note.

"Them?" His hand made small reassuring circles across my back and I leaned slightly to grant him more workspace.

"Renee was there too. She listened on speaker phone." Her muffled tears of disbelief flared in the back of my mind. As I finished my story Charlie knelt his head against the table and Renee's line cut after a brief 'We need to speak privately' geared towards me. "Charlie wants to thank you properly tomorrow, and apologize."

"Apologize?"

"For thinking ill of you. He totally thought that this was you." I answered pointing towards the tender bruise on the side of my face.

To keep similar to the previous happenings in my life, everything in the past week of my stay in Forks, Washington had gone exactly un-according to plan. Now James is being hunted down by Fork's Finest, Charlie Swan, and I can only imagine the rue I will be experiencing when James finds out I told my 'daddy.' All I wanted was to suffer silently, maybe a little vocally into my pillow, and maybe a little sexually with Edward… no I couldn't… yes I could. I was frustrated; and what do grown women do when they are frustrated? They curse frequently and sex up the nearest piece of man candy.

"What's wrong?" Edward leaned towards me trying to read my face. I took that as an opportunity and pounced, crashing my lips into his, and setting a steady pace so that he could keep up. "Bella?" He questioned once he was allowed a short breath.

"What?" I sat back on his shins as his arms wrapped around the small of my back.

His eyes silently asked if I was serious about doing this.

"I guess not. My Dad won't leave for another hour." I slid back up to his thighs and gave him a few slow kisses, allowing him to reply with a bit more pressure. Just when things started heating up again my phone started buzzing in my back pocket, causing a little struggle for Edward. I quickly removed it from said pocket and checked the name. Renee. Great.

"Hello?" I returned to my previous place beside Edward.

"I'm coming."

"You're what?" No. No. No. No. No. No. Times infinity.

"I'm coming to visit you and I'm bringing a big surprise." Most likely Phil. Great.

"And where are you planning on staying. There are no extra rooms here." She huffed on the opposite end and let out a large annoyed sigh.

"Please Bells. I've booked at the motel and I'm coming. My plane lands at 3:00."

"Okay. Charlie will be on duty so he can't pick you up." It was my last attempts to ward her off.

"They have cabs in Washington?" Fail.

"Don't come." I whined and huffed and begged and pleaded and did it work?

"Bella, I love you, sweetie. I can't wait to see you." No.

"Bye Mom." I threw the phone towards the end of the bed and rested my head on Edward's welcoming shoulder. His shirt was so warm from his body heat and soft from natural wear and tear. I loved it. I did; I loved this shoulder more than any other shoulder in the world. The curve of the bone was perfectly curve to cradle my cheek, and was wide enough to grant some relaxation room. It was like, the lazyboy of all shoulders. I just wanted to sit here forever, like this, with him. "I love you." I sighed towards the shoulder. Then it tensed. It became rigid and uncomfortable. This wasn't the carefree shoulder I had worshipped minutes ago. So I removed my face from the unfamiliar monster and gazed into Edward's awe-struck eyes.

"Bella?" His voice was shaky and surprised.

"Shit! No I wasn't talking to you." Of course I had told the shoulder that I loved him out loud. Now, instead of the impending doom Renee would bring with her to Forks; all I could think of was what an idiot I sounded like, and the fact that I lost the divine shoulder. My life was turning into a complete and total clusterfuck in a matter of a few hours work and a nice sharp slap in the face in a dark alley.

"Are you serious?" He shook his head a little bit as if it were an etch-a-sketch that could eliminate all of the clutter in his mind.

"No, I mean, ummm. You're going to think this is so stupid." He looked towards me blankly waiting for the rest. I thought about avoiding the whole shoulder obsession, but I figured nothing could get worse than it was at said moment. "You have, like, the most perfect shoulder in the history of the world." The light returned to his eyes and he rolled over and began to laugh. "What?" I shouted at him, hitting him lightly with the pillow behind me.

"You're in love with my shoulder?" It was kind of funny when he said it that way.

"Monuments should be erected in honor of that shoulder, Cullen." I slapped it playfully a few times and he laughed beautifully, and pushed me onto my back. He crawled over me, being sure not to place any of his weight directly on the sore areas of my poor abused body and kissed me again. It was the same routine, light at first and then increasing in tension when finally… my phone rang. How convenient. He let a small shit breathe through his lips and he dropped his head onto my chest. Then with a cute little huff, he sat up and picked my phone up from the end of the bed to see who was calling.

"Who's Jake?" He taunted in a teasing little school girl tone.

"What the fuck? Why is he calling me?" His mom probably heard from Renee about the beating incedent. Of course, even when I'm miles away I can't escape the fatherly ways of Jacob Black. Edward laughed at my discomfort and tossed the phone onto my stomach.

"Jake?"

"Oh, God, you answered." He sounded like someone's crazy Grandma who calls to make sure the Russians that invaded haven't stolen you away in the night.

"Umm, Hey to you too."

"Yeah, hey whatever. You're mom told me everything. Oh my God, are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? Of course you don't. Why did I even ask that? Did you talk to Renee?" Father of the year.

"Yes, I just got off the phone with her. I can't believe she coming up here though. Don't you think she's overreacting a little bit. It's not like I'm living with the Chief of Police here!" He gave a nervous laugh, and I could see him running an index finger in the collar of his shirt as if it was strangling him.

"I don't know about that."

"What do you mean. I've only been gone for a week. Can't she wait until Christmas break to do this whole reunion. I mean, she's bringing Phil for God's sake."

"Phil isn't coming with us." Us? US?!?

"What the hell do you mean 'US,' Jake. You're not coming?" I panicked and Edward could read it clear as day on my face. He reached for the phone to give the jerk a talking too, but I waved him away and he curled back up on the end of the bed like an angry little toddler.

"Listen, do you need to me to bring anything, like, is there anything they don't have up there? Do you want some of those chocolate things you like so much?" As per usual, he was avoiding my questions any way possible.

"Jake, it's not Communist Russia over here, they have Reese's." I shook my head to clear all of the chocolate thoughts so that I could scold him properly.

"Well, I'll bring some anyways. I can't wait to see you." His voice grew deeper and turned a bit husky. Time for Jacob #2, the lover (warning: do not be fooled; it's all talk and no action). The transformation reminded me of all those times he teased me with his light touches and brushes of his tongue across my lips. He would get me all wound up and then when I begged for more he would chicken out. It was like he was some evil little boy waving a piece of meat in front of a starving kitten. He would let me taste it's skin but yank it away before I could go in for a bite.

Wasn't I supposed to be the evil boy? It's usually the girl who gets pounded for waving her goodies too and fro, but deciding at the last minute that she was Amish and wouldn't share the cookies until they were rotted and unappealing. The various scenes were playing through my mind and I couldn't control myself, I giggled into the receiver and my phone hand was immediately grabbed by a very jealous Edward misinterpreting my laughter as being flirtatious.

"Say goodbye, and hang up the phone." His eyes were overcast and black and for a moment I almost did as he said, but Jacobs cooing voice hit me once more.

"You know, when your mom asked me to come, I was so happy. I miss you so much. Nothing's the same in Phoenix without you, Bells." Yeah, whatever, fucking tease; two can play at that game. Sorry Eddie, justice must be served.

"Jake, it's only been a week; you can't miss me that much." Edward's face contorted into a picture of rage and envy. He grabbed at the phone and I fought him teeth and nails, literally. I think I accidentally bit him. Weird, considering I was positive a week ago that Jacob Black was nothing special. Somewhere in the mix of our wrestle the speaker phone had turned on, and Jake cooed from the speakers.

"Bells, since you left all I can think about is the night I told you I loved you. Remember that night? Renee and Phil were in Jacksonville and you called me to come over because there was a lightning storm and you were afraid to be all alone. When I got there you were curled up on the couch wearing my jersey… and those black panties." Edward's face turned bright red and he sat still, just staring at the phone in horror. "God, I wanted you so bad." Edward stood up and ran for the window, but I couldn't let him go. I ran after him and grabbed him looking into his eyes hoping he would see that it was over. He seemed to settle down a little bit, but the blackness still loomed deep within his pupils waiting to emerge again.

"Jake, we can't talk about this right now." I ordered with a stern voice, knowing I would have to carry through with the rest of my scheme when Edward wasn't around.

"I'm ready." He sounded.

"What the fuck, Jake, we will talk about this later." I hoped to God he wasn't about to say this in front of Edward. I leapt towards the phone to turn of the speaker phone but Edward held me back.

"Okay, I'll go. But I just needed to tell you that I know homecoming night was a let down, but I just wasn't ready for that. I was so comfortable with how we were. But while you were gone I knew I had made a mistake. This time I won't be so stupid." He clicked off and left me and Edward standing in the silence of a dailtone.

Edward shook his head and laughed, running his hands through his permanently unkempt hair.

"Wow." He sat on the end of my bed, punching the end button on my phone.

"I broke up with him before I moved here." Somehow I thought that would make it better, but his eyes grew dark again and he grabbed my waist forcing me in between his legs.

"I'm glad I heard that last part." He laughed maniacally.

"I'm so sorry. He just… We've known each other our whole lives. I mean, his mom and Renee are best friends, and his uncle, Billy, lives up here on the reservation and Charlie is good friends with him. We kind of grew up in close quarters. It was only logical that we would come together at some point." I felt somewhat guilty as Edward rested his head against my stomach, listening intently. "It was good at first, but as we got older I realized I didn't love him the same way he loved me." He loved me the way a sexy teacher loves his slutty student

"That's comforting to know." I detected a hint of sarcasm. "Regardless," He lifted his head and I was shocked at the depth in his eyes, "I'm glad he's coming. That way I can kill him without paying for a plane ticket."

His jealousy thrilled me when I knew I should have been slightly worried about Jake's well-being, but I wasn't. I swear, his anger was such an aphrodisiac. That's what was strange about me and Edward. I hadn't known him for more than a week, but everything he did excited me. I was obsessed with him, and I only hoped that I wasn't alone in this emotion.

He looked at me once more, with that primal rage in his eyes and all I could do was attack him. We were caught in a whirlwind of bites and kisses and my core ached to be closer to him, to feel him inside of me, to be connected to him. As his teeth playfully nibbled at my collar bone I let out a moan and Edward's breathing hitched uncontrollably. His lips returned to mine for a moment, thanking me for the encouragement, and he traveled to my ear whispering and biting.

"Bella, you scare the shit out of me."

"Why is that?" I whispered in the breathiest voice I could manage.

"Cuz I want you so bad. You're like a disease. Ever since you freaked out in my car I've been infected."

"Edward, I want you too. Please!" I tried to tug his shirt over his head and he laughed as he lowered my arms. "Charlie is leaving soon and won't be home till ten."

"All in good time, Bella. There are some things I need to sort out first." I would have been angrier but he was right. So I kissed him lightly on the mouth and walked him to the window. "Will you be okay until Charlie gets back tonight, or should I send Emmett." I wrinkled my nose and shook my head at the thought of being alone with that pervert. "Tell that bitch, Jake, I'll see him tomorrow." I blushed a little and he kissed the reddened area of my cheek and hopped onto the strongest limb, climbing skillfully to the bottom. I watched him slide into his car, hidden by some trees so that noone would spot him, and as soon as the Volvo faded into the distance I slammed the windows shut and locked them. Then I closed the curtains for good measure.

………………………………………..

My phone buzzed a few hours later, tearing me from my little fantasy I had been cooking up. Edward had just shed his knickers and brushed my curls away from my bare breasts, ready to make sweet love to me while the wind blew the moss covered trees of the moors.

"Hello?" I began in a breathy voice, hoping it was Edward asking if he could come over.

"It's later. Can we talk?" Jake sounded normal, no James Bond sweet talk.

"I guess so."

"Who is he?" I had to give him credit, Jacob had frighteningly good hearing.

"Edward Cullen."

"Great, a Cullen." He added a bite to his voice as he said the name.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jacob breathed in, preparing for what seemed to be a complicated story.

"The Cullen's are only public enemy number one to the Quileutes. My uncle always tells me about 'The Agreement'."

"Agreement?" I asked earnestly after his dramatic pause.

"In the first place, Edward's dad, Carlisle, was a pompous creep. He's always commenting on the number of patients he gets in the hospital from the Res. They tend to throw pretty rowdy parties up there and the moonshine we make is pretty strong. Add both of those together and we have at least two cases of alcohol poisoning on a bad night; but never any deaths or anything horrible like that. So Dr. Cullen is constantly sending strongly worded e-mails to the elders asking them quite rudely to quit producing the moonshine. But the tribe makes a shit load of money off of that stuff, what with all of the alcoholic mountain men up there trying to find the strongest fix. So he's like, sending the authorities to the reservation to check things out all the time, but there's nothing illegal about it. Well, underage drinking is illegal, but that's not something anyone can control. It's such a hassle for Billy and the others to have to explain themselves and, I mean, it's the doctors job to help people, and he's making a shitload of money off of all the teenagers, so why should he complain?" He was rambling. This is a classic Jacob Black when something really irks him.

"Jake, I think I get the picture." I urged with a sarcastic tone.

"Fine! Keep in mind that the Quileutes already hated Dr. Cullen."

"Okay, got it locked away. Continue."

"Dr. Cullen is a big hunter. When he moved to Forks Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were at the age where they could start learning the sport. They really took to it, and soon the small game around Forks was not much of a challenge. Small game meaning like, fox, turkey, rabbits—"

"Spare me the hunting lesson, Jake and just get on with it."

"Anyways, Quileute land is home to most of the big time game in the area. There are cougars, bears, and the better half of the deer population; occasionally some Elk and moose wander in for the water and some higher end game birds. It's a really great hunt, but there area tons of rules. Since it's our land we make our own regulations and quota each season. So, Quileutes only let outsiders hunt during the off season that there is a surplus of a species, and even then it's limited to the species in question. Apparently, Cullen thought he was above the law, so he and his boys started creeping into the land on the outskirts in the woods thinking no one would notice what he was doing. He got away with it for many years too, but Mrs. Cullen was a bit of a blabber mouth. She had lots of parties and social events and she would sometimes serve game meat when the men brought back a large amount. So, the tribe found out and began patrolling the area and caught the guys in the act."

"So what was 'The Agreement'?"

"If they stayed off of our land, we wouldn't use our diplomatic immunity to kill them."

"But you can't really kill them."

"Yeah, but what we would do would make them wish they were dead."

"That seems a little harsh. Plus it's not like Edward was the brains behind the operation. He probably didn't even realize he was doing anything wrong."

"Maybe, maybe not." Jake left a long pause meant for reflecting on the story and my various encounters with Edward, but nothing evil came to mind. He was perfect, and I knew he was just a victim of his father's poor judgment. "Bella." He whispered into the receiver.

"What?" I was not as nice, his needy pleading was beginning to get on my nerves.

He noticed the edge in my voice and quickly redirected the conversation. "Nothing, I'll see you tomorrow." Then he was gone.

I laughed to myself, thinking back on the ridiculous story, and wondering when I could get my hands on some of that moonshine. Not that I drink very often, it just seemed like a right of passage. It would fit really well into a list filled with risky endeavors: sneak out and TP a house, skinny dip in the neighbor's pool, two movies/one ticket, drink genuine moonshine at a beach party. Suddenly, I was inspired. I needed a list of things that needed to happen before I left Forks.

_Forks To-Do List:_

_Drink Quileute Moonshine_

_Find a tree of my own like Jasper's_

_See Jasper and Alice in a relationship_

_Get James put in jail_

_Skip prom_

_Conquer my slight acrophobia_

_Learn to surf at La Push_

_Go an entire day without tripping_

_Ride a motorcycle_

_Have sex with Edward in a log cabin_

_Have sex with Edward in a meadow_

_Have sex with Edward in general_

_Avoid becoming a sex addict_

_Go on a hike with Edward_

_Drive to the beach with Edward_

_Fly to Jacksonville with Edward_

_Go to college with Edward_

_Marry Edward_

_Honeymoon in a cabin in the moors with Edward_

_Live forever with Edward_

When I was done I re-read my list making sure I hadn't left anything out. As I read to myself I made an executive decision to change the name of the list to _Forks To-Do with Edward List_ and I added 'with Edward' to most of the items lacking his name. I stuck it under my pillow and then went downstairs to fortify all entrances to my house and get a good night's sleep before school tomorrow.

* * *

**Now is the time to prove my awful taste in music:**

**Placebo is my absolute favorite band and I could listen to them all day every day and never get tired of them.**

**So Review and tell me what your guilty pleasure is in music!!!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

**okay... you guys are gonna be mad at me. But I am adding yet another bump in the road. Bear with me guys... it will all work out in the end!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all of it's characters; I own an autographed Mike Birbiglia poster.**

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Monday. Shitfilledfucktastinglyterribleday. Is there a difference… no.

So it's a regular weekday morning.

I wake up.

I shower.

I get dressed.

I eat breakfast.

I brush my teeth.

I gather my books.

I wait for Edward.

And it's a regular school-day morning.

Edward pulls into his regular parking spot by the stair.

We sit in the car and listen to music until the bell rings.

People stare a little as we walk into the building.

I go to my locker.

I walk to English with Eric.

I walk to Government alone to reflect in the event that there is a pop quiz.

I meet Jessica by her locker and we walk to Trig.

Then I walk to Spanish with Jasper and he talks my ear off about what Alice did last night.

Finally I walk with Jasper to lunch.

At Lunch I met my first bump in the road.

There were two extra faces at our table.

One was a smiling Alice… the other was a little different.

It was an angry face.

It is glaring at me as if it was its soul purpose in life.

I guessed that was the infamous Rosalie.

I silently slid into the chair next to Edward and he slung his arm over the back of my seat evoking a questionable look from Rosalie.

Emmett was the first one to speak up. "So, Rose, I don't think you met Bella at the party."

She glared at him and he reciprocated the look, overpowering her and forcing her to plaster a fantastically fake smile on her face. "No. Hi."

Alice leaned in to my ear and whispered. "Don't mind her. She hates everyone who isn't in the family. It's weird, I know, but just give her some time and she'll warm up to you." I wanted to believe her… but 'that's what they all say' kept creeping up in my mind.

"So I hear you're Edward's girlfriend, isn't that right?" She was good. She probably knew we hadn't discussed that yet. Edward choked a little on his soda and I dropped the cucumber slice I had been getting ready to eat.

"Well… umm…" I didn't know how to answer her. I stammered until Edward could regain control of his trachea to speak.

"You know… that's pretty much the thing that's happening… in some ways." He blinked and stared at me frantically, but all I could do was shrug and cower into my salad, hoping she wouldn't come in for a second attack.

But…

"Bella… that's short for Isabella, right? When I was little I wanted to name my first daughter Isabella. Of course, now it's the most common name in the country so no way. I wouldn't want my daughter to become just another face in the crowd." What a bitch! "Now I'm thinking I might name my daughter Tanya. That's Edward's ex-girlfriend's name. It's so powerful and pretty, just like her. I mean, she is gorgeous. Her parents are Scandinavian, so she has the whole blonde Swedish model look about her; she has the longest legs I have ever seen." I glanced under the table to look at my stubby little appendages; mentally comparing them to "Tanya's" spidery wonder legs.

"That's really interesting, Rose." Jasper saved me with an intrusion. "You know, there's another thing I've always loved about Tanya. She just has this uncanny connection to John Wayne Gacy. I mean seriously, what has happened to all of her ex-boyfriends?" Jasper paused for dramatic effect. "Somebody should check her crawl space."

After Jasper's joke I was feeling a little more confident and decided to contribute to the roast.

"Does she also moonlight as a clown during street parties?" Everyone except for Rose burst into laughter.

Alice was all but too eager to join in. "Haha yeah, and in her spare time she paints pictures of the seven dwarfs and Jeffrey Dahmer."

With that Rosalie hopped up and trotted out on her too tall stiletto heels, smacking the doors of the cafeteria open and slamming them shut behind her.

Emmett stood and followed after her while the rest of us tried to control our giggles and settle back down. When I was done I turned toward Edward to see if he was as tickled as I had been and I was met with a very displeased visage. I didn't understand why and before I could ask he was walking past the double doors to the cafeteria.

…………………………………………..

Next awful happening of Monday:

So I was just sitting in Biology, next to a still very agitates Edward, and Mr. Banner begins passing around slides. For a moment I was excited that we wouldn't have to sit through another one of his "Green is Good" lessons, and then I saw what he had handed to Mike to pass out.

It was the blood typing lab today. Mike set a small needle by my hand and Mr. Banner stood in front of the class to go through the lab procedure. Before I could raise my hand to explain my situation I saw Mike prick his finger. I quickly turned away before I could see anything, but more and more students pricked their fingers and pretty soon that irony copper smell flooded my nose and rested in my mouth and the nausea set in. I turned to Edward and was met with his bloody finger sliding across the plastic slide. He looked up at me and asked me if I needed help with mine and everything got all fuzzy.

…………………………………………..

The next thing I knew I was in someone's arms traveling rapidly toward the nurse's office. This is where I thought the day would get better.

"You okay?" Edward asked, halting for a moment to study my expression.

"You can put me down." I pressed against his chest and lowered my feet, testing one leg at a time before putting weight on both legs.

"Well, it looks like you can make it to the nurse." He turned to walk back to Biology.

"Hey, Edward," I called after him, "Can we talk about something."

"I figured as much. Go ahead." He sat down on the nearest bench and I joined him.

"Well, we haven't really discussed it, so when Rose mentioned it I wasn't sure how to respond. I know Jacob is going to ask the same question and I don't want to have to tell him that I don't know, or avoid the question all together." I didn't look at his face until I was finished and I saw the jealousy return to his eyes.

"If Jacob asks you can tell him to mind his own damn business." He ran a hand roughly through his hair.

"I could tell him that, but it kind of is his business."

"No it isn't!" Edward stood up and paced back and forth.

"Even if I don't like him that way anymore, he's still my best friend, and he has a right to know about things like this." I hoped that would trigger something in his mind, and sure enough, he ran a troubled hand through his bronze mane once again.

"Well, if I'm you're boyfriend; that would mean that you're my girlfriend."

"That's usually how it works."

"Okay…" We looked at each other for a moment before I turned away.

"Now it's all awkward." I stood up and pretended to run away.

"It wasn't until you said that." He stood up gently nudging my arm and I slapped his playfully. "I don't think I've ever had a girlfriend before."

"Besides Tanya." I couldn't help but spit the name out in a less that docile manner.

"Somebody's a little jealous." He pinched my cheeks and patted my head. "Don't worry, I choose not to count her as a girlfriend, for various reasons, including the fact that she possibly isn't human and the fact that I hardly ever saw her. She kind of lives in freaking Alaska in case you forgot."

"Well, I guess I'll have to teach you a few things about being in a relationship. Seeing as I am a pro. Of course, sometimes I tend not to count Jacob because when we would—"

"Can we please not talk about him?" Edward interrupted.

"Okay, you haven't even met him and you already hate him? That doesn't seem fair." I sat back down and Edward followed.

"Excuse me little miss hypocrite, how do you feel about Tanya?" His condescending tone was beginning to get on my nerves.

"I'm sure she is a nice person."

Edward began fake coughing, throwing in a few clearly audible "liar"s in the mix.

"Fine, I don't like her. But that isn't the same. Tanya obviously is a force to be reckoned with due to the way your own family talks about her. Jacob, on the other hand, holds no similarities to any kind of serial killer. Speaking of which, why haven't you "disappeared" like her other boyfriends?" He gave a big sigh and began his explanation.

"She broke up with me." Okay… not big… kind of simple… and incredibly vague.

"Why?" For a minute he sort of stared off into space then returned with a smile on his face and started playfully kissing me and nipping at my skin.

"Well, if she's John Wayne Gacy then I'm Ted Bundy." He bit down on my neck harder than I had expected and I let out a light yelp. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." It was a cute notion, but I was no idiot.

"As thrilling as that sounds you didn't answer my question. What did you do?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing." I looked at him skeptically. "No one did anything. She just called me one day and said it was over. I didn't ask any questions, I just assumed it was another guy or something." He laughed for a minute. "Well, more than assumed, I could hear him in the background. Needless to say I was more than relieved. Now since we are discussing this, why did you and Jacob break up?"

I opened my mouth to tell him and then promptly closed it. Bad idea, Bella. Your boyfriend does not want to hear how you forced yourself upon Jake and broke his zipper in the process. He doesn't want to know how desperately you needed Jake. He would probably kill Jacob. I wouldn't put it past him.

"You might not want to hear about that." Shit, now he's going to want to hear about it.

"Well, now I want to hear about it." Called it.

"I really don't think you do." Once again, I am an idiot. Now he really wants to.

"Now I really want to." I shook my head this time, thinking that words weren't really working for me. "Okay I guess you don't really want to be my girlfriend. The next time Rose asks I'll just say, no, she thinks she's too good for me. She'll have a field day with that one." What a bitch.

"Can I tell you after Jacob is gone?" He stared at me for a minute. He tended to do that a lot. It was like he could read my mind or something and that would help him make his decision.

After a few minutes he threw his hand out and I shook it. "Deal."

……………………………………..

So the day was getting better already. Edward and I were officially dating. I had saved Jacob's life. And I got to skip gym class.

Little did I know, I was about to enter Hell.

After school had ended I trotted out of the nurse's office feeling quite accomplished and met Edward at his car. He kissed me in front of the entire parking lot (phwoar) and I slipped into the passenger seat, reveling in the jealousy of my peers all the way home.

This is where the Hell part happens.

I thought maybe me and Edward could hang out while my Dad was gone, for safety purposes of course. James was still out and about and I couldn't be left alone in broad daylight.

Not that this idea seemed plausibly at all, but it was the excuse I would give Charlie if he came home early to find Edward keeping me company.

So imagine my surprise when I find Jake, sitting on the couch, his jaw hanging open, as Edward kisses me in the doorway. My eyes shot back and forth between Jake's expression, Edward's enraged stance, and the large duffel bag sitting at Jake's feet.

"Jake! What are you doing here? And what's with the bag? I thought you were staying with your uncle." I screeched and Edward grabbed the corner of my blouse, bracing himself for what could only be horrible news.

"Well…" He started off slowly, skeptically standing and looking Edward up and down. "That was the plan, but he and some friends are out on a fishing trip. Renee invited me to stay with her at the hotel, but Charlie thought it would be a good idea if I stayed here… what with that psycho out on the loose." He looked at me for a moment, no doubt comparing my look now to how it was a week ago. Which was a little different, I must admit. Alice had sort of inspired me to somewhat think about what I wore, and a little mascara did go a long way.

"Oh." I couldn't argue with him. If I were him I wouldn't want to share a small motel room with someone else's mom, no matter how well you know her. "Okay. Well, Jake this is Edward Cullen. Edward this is Jacob Black." Both boys prepared themselves for verbal battle.

Edward spoke up first. "Who's your uncle?"

"Billy Black." Jacob sneered and gave Edward an evil glare as they migrated towards each other. Edward scoffed and then turned towards me. By the look on his face I deduced that I wouldn't just be a third party outsider. I too would be scolded.

"Well, hell Bella. You didn't think it would be a good idea to tell me that your ex-boyfriend was a Res. Mutt."

"I don't even know what that is." And honestly I didn't, I knew he was a Quileute, but I didn't know he was a Mutt or whatever that meant.

"Yeah, Bella knew I was a Quileute. She didn't tell you?" He made it sound like I was somehow deceiving Edward by keeping that from him. Edward caught on quickly and looked at me as if I had just stabbed him in the back.

"No way. Honestly, I didn't think it was a big deal. I mean Jake told me some story about hunting, but I had no idea it was this bad."

"You told her about the hunting! What did you tell her? Did you tell her we were trespassing on your land?" Edward turned towards me, sweetening up his tone just to piss Jacob off. "How about I tell you the truth Bella? The tribe was cooking up some serious moonshine and giving it out at beach parties. My father reported then to the authorities because there were so many cases of alcohol poisoning and the little elders got mad. So they told the police that we had been hunting without permission on there land, when in reality we were a good mile away from the line."

Soon Jake and Edward were in a face-off growling offenses at each other, ready to throw a punch as soon as the other person caved. That's when I started to get that feeling where you look at the drapes and think it would be a really good idea to make a noose out of them and hang yourself. So I thought I better end this little dispute soon before anything got too out of hand.

"Okay. Edward I need you to go wait up in my room while I talk to Jake." At first he protested, but I gave him a firm look and he stomped up the stairs and slammed the door.

Jacob threw himself back onto the couch as I folded my arms and stared skeptically at him.

"Really, Jake?"

"What?" I kept staring. "I'm sorry, Bells, but I have no reason to be nice to that guy. No reason at all."

"Look, I'm not asking you to be friends with him, I'm asking you to tolerate his presence while you're here because this is his town. Now, if he decides to come visit Phoenix, then you can be a little bitch all you want."

"Fine." I turned to go upstairs, but Jacob called after me. "Bella!"

"What now."

"Please don't have sex with him."

I promptly threw a book from the nearest shelf at his head. Sadly he caught it, but I think I made my point.

"Fuck you!"

When I got up to my room Edward stood up from my bed and walked towards me cradling my face in his hands and staring.

"Can I help you?" I mumbled, trying to get his hands off of my face.

"Yeah." He whispered and dove in head first. His lips pounded against mine, soft and warm. Every so often he would venture in for a lighter kiss and I would bite his lip, making him smile against my mouth. My hands ran through his hair as his explored my neck and shoulders, going to far as to remove my sweater. He was like an animal, and I knew why. As much as I wanted something to happen, I knew it couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to Jake.

"Edward, you need to go." He pulled away from my neck, looking a little bit hurt. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work."

"Fine, I'll go." He kissed me once more and grabbed my hand, walking down the stairs and over to the front door. Jake surprised me by keeping relatively quiet, save a few perfectly positioned coughs. So, to spare Jacob of any kind of scene, I closed the front door and joined Edward on the porch.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands met the small of my back and he gave me a sweet little peck and reached for my wrists, unfolding my arms and pulling them down to our sided, swinging them slightly.

"I can't come back tonight?" He pouted and pecked me again.

"No Edward… Jacob's here." He pecked me three time in a row until the kissed became lingering.

"Please." I was almost swayed to say yes, but my better judgment stopped me.

"No." He sighed and smiled, pulling me back in for one last kiss. When I pulled away he whispered something in my ear that was so low I could barely make out what it was. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing. See you tomorrow." He turned on his heel and walked back to his car with confidence and I watched him drive until he faded into the line of trees. Right before I walked back into the house it started to snow.

……………………………………………

Time for the third happening on Monday.

Charlie came home around six… covered in snow.

"How was your day?" I asked. I was hovering over some boiling water, ready to drop in enough pasta to feed that Duggar family on TLC.

"Good, good." He looked over at Jacob and walked over to the couch slapping him on the back and sitting down next to him to watch some game on TV. "How's it going Jake?"

"Great. Why aren't you on the big fishing trip?"

"Aww, work. A Sheriff's duty is never done." Charlie stood up and walked over to the fridge to get a beer as per usual. "Jake, you want a soda or something?"

"Sure." Jacob stood as Charlie tossed him a can.

"Holy shit boy. How tall are you now?"

"A couple of inches north of six feet." Jacob shrugged modestly.

"Well, damn. You done growing?" Charlie walked back to the couch and slapped him across the back. It made a pretty loud smack but Jacob didn't seem to feel a thing.

"No sir." He held his head high and sat with a big thunk.

They didn't stop chatting until I shouted that dinner was ready. I watched them jog over to the table laughing and joking around with each other. I had forgotten how well they got along, always goofing off and acting like idiots. As we ate I tried to pretend that it was Edward sitting across from me, shooting the breeze with Charlie as if they had known one another forever.

"Where's your mother?" Charlie interrupted. The phrase hit me in waves. She did pass along a message to Jake to tell me that she left her phone in Florida and that she would come over for dinner. I didn't know how I had forgotten.

"I'll call the motel." The only motel in Forks. The number was written on the phone in between the fire department and poison control, reminding me of all of the Christmases I had spent here while my mother stayed at the hotel and visited with her parents. They died around the time I stopped coming for holidays. I don't really remember them much, but they used to give me 50 dollars whenever I went to see them. I only listened to half of a ring before the call cut off and that annoying robotic woman's voice went into her rant about the number being unavailable. "Dad the phones at the motel aren't working."

"Shit, turn to the weather channel." I ran to the TV and reached for the remote, just as I changed it I saw the word blizzard and the power cut out. "Oh well this is just great!"

"At least it isn't Phoenix. The power goes off and your house starts boiling." Jacob ranted.

"True, but now we're gonna' freeze our asses off. Bella, do you see any candles around here?"

"Yeah, they're in the cabinet by the glasses. There are some flashlights in there too." Five seconds later Charlie had the big lantern out with light flooding the kitchen and we lit all the candles we had to try and generate what little heat we could and Charlie stomped off to his bedroom to shower and whatever else he did when there was no TV.

After I had cleaned all of the dishes I left Jacob huddled on the couch and ran up to my bedroom to put on as many layers as possible and grab the blankets from my bed. I returned to see Jake surrounded by the quilt from the couch and all of the pillows he could find in the surrounding area.

"How resourceful." I laughed as I sat down across from him on the couch, throwing over the blankets so that we could share them.

For a while we joked around and told "scary" stories even had a few singing battles before Charlie yelled over the banister that we needed to shut up; which only provoked more laughter. I had forgotten what it was like to just hang out like this. I couldn't be this way with Edward, there was just too much sexual tension. With Jacob there wasn't any desire or lust, it was just two people goofing off and having a good time. I missed that.

"Remember last summer when we were coming home from Lake Suguaro?" I remembered completely. We had spent a week on the lake with Renee and Paul, and on the way home we were trying to be witty with figures of speech.

****FLASHBACK****

"You are the cheese to my macaroni." Jacob exaggerated as we turned onto our exit.

"You can't use that one." I sat up on my knees in the seat.

"Why not?"

"Because it's from Juno it's like plagiarism." God it was hot. The sun was beating through the windows and toasting my skin. I reached for the bottle of sunscreen Jake usually stowed in the glove compartment and spread it across my legs. When I was done I plugged up the bottle and threw it back to it's previous resting spot and glanced over to see Jake staring at me through his sun glasses. "Can we pay attention to the road please?"

"I don't know, can you quit seducing me with the lotion rubbing?"

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed and pulled the ridiculous sunglasses off of his face and stared into his black eyes. In any other case black eyes would just be so boring, but the way his eyes reflected the sunlight, it looked like he had some sort of lamp clicked on in his eyes whenever he looked towards the light. "These glasses are ridiculous." I held the aviators in my hands and rubbed the smudges off of them. They really weren't that bad, but the things they shaded were far more beautiful.

"Hey, those are RayBans and they are sexy, no matter what you say."

"Sexy? What are you, a fifteen year old girl? Do you want me to get you a tube top for your birthday?" He grabbed the sunglasses from my hands and shoved them into the console. I won. He turned up the music and "City of Blinding Lights" pulsed through his rickety old red truck I gave him for his birthday last year.

I found it in this junkyard when my art class went to look for textures for our art exam. While I was collecting some chains and pieces of insulation I turned a corner and saw this beat up red Chevrolet pick up truck and fell in love. It was all dented, had no tires, and the paint was falling off. I knew Jake would have a field day putting it back together. So, I bought it and on his birthday I blindfolded him and took him to the junkyard and tied a bow around it.

"You are the Yaweh to my U2." I leaned over and leaned over putting the glasses back on his face. He turned his head and placed a hand on my neck. I smiled and he kissed me light and quick, unwillingly turning his attention back to the road. I kissed his cheek and rested my head on his shoulder letting Bono's voice fill my mind as we made our way back home.

*************************

"Yeah. I remember." I fumbled with a tassel on the edge of a throw pillow. I didn't want to remember how good things were, because when I thought about it, it made me doubt my decision to end things. Now I was second guessing myself. I knew I didn't love him anymore, but that didn't mean I wasn't somewhat attracted to him. Especially when he looked at me; the candlelight reflected in his eyes and as he drew me closer it was as if they were on fire. It was entrancing and I couldn't look away.

I didn't see it coming.

The last happening of Monday.

Jake kissed me.

* * *

**Recap: James will be back soon. Never fear. Renee will make her appearance. Jacob and Edward will have a major face off. All in good time my friends.**

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	10. Author's Note

A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I am currently starting college so, I'm pretty busy for the timebeing. I promise that once I'm all settled in I will keep the chapters coming. Hang in there guys!!!!!!!


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